Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad?
by MM-TartLover-MM
Summary: The core team left for a mission and Stephanie's life changed. Will they make it back in time to help her fix her life or will she be doomed? Rated for safety. As usual... this will be a Tart Story. Not good for Cupcakes.
1. Chapter 1

I sat in the kitchen, sorting the bills on the table into two piles: this paycheck and next paycheck. I knew it needed to be done but honestly, it was the part of adult-hood that I absolutely hated with a passion.

Oh silly me, I have yet to introduce myself to you. I'm called many things like Beautiful, Bomber, Bombshell, Angel, Babe, Little Girl, Wifey, and of course, Cupcake. My name is Stephanie Plum. Or, it use to be; now it's Stephanie Plum-Morelli. Yes, I said Morelli, but please don't hate me. I know, you're wondering how that happened, right? Well, honestly… so am I. So, let me start about eighteen months ago and explain.

I'd been working at RangeMan part time doing searches for the guys. One day, exactly eighteen months ago, I was pulled into a conference room filled with Ranger, Tank, Lester, Bobby, Manny, and Cal. Ranger explained that the six of them had been called up for a mission and they were leaving that night. They didn't know how long they'd be gone, but they promised to be safe and return home as soon as they could.

I went home that afternoon and cried. I don't know why, but it felt like my world as I knew it was about to change. The next morning, I walked into Vinnie's and tried to act like nothing had happened, but the girls knew. They had donuts and Kleenex sitting out for me.

A month passed and I heard from Hal and Woody that the guys had been making their check-ins with no problem. I was thrilled to know they were all okay, but wished they were finally home. While I knew the rest of the guys at RangeMan, I wasn't as close to them as I was the six that left. I missed my guys and I missed their companionship.

Anyway, somehow during the fourth month that the guys were gone, I ended up engaged to Joe. I don't remember how it happened exactly. I mean, I know I was spending more time eating at my parents' house and Joe was there ninety-nine percent of the time. Anytime there was a game on, he and I watched it together. We shared beers every now and again. Then one day, I looked down at my hand, and there was the ring.

My mother and Angie Morelli were thrilled when they found out we were engaged. They started making plans that I had no control over. Joe moved all my stuff from my apartment into his house in one afternoon while I was at work. When I arrived at my apartment that night, there was a note taped to my door: _Cupcake, when you come home, you'll find all your belongings. Love, Joe._ What the fuck? Home? My belongings? I opened my door and found the apartment bare as the day it was built. Part of me was pissed, but part of me knew this day was coming.

I headed over to Joe's, I mean our place, and opened the door. Joe stood there in a towel with a huge grin, "Welcome home, Steph," he said as he kissed me softly. One thing led to another and soon that towel disappeared along with my clothes.

When I woke up in the morning, I noticed marks covering my body in places that could be hidden; he'd been careful not to mark where our parents could see. Rolling over, I saw Joe was still in bed, so I curled up next to him and let my hands wander. Once he was awake, we made the most of the morning.

Things were going well between Joe and me, we'd not had a fight in a long time. He'd call if he was going to be home late and I was able to keep my job at RangeMan. Then one day, we had a visitor… Mama Morelli came to tell us when we were getting married. I didn't like the fact that it had been decided for us, but Joe was like, "Oh come on Steph, now we don't have to do anything other than show up."

So, that's what we did; we showed up to the church ten months to the day after the guys left. Even as I was walking down the aisle, I was telling myself to turn and run; this isn't what I wanted. I didn't love him enough to be married to him. I could feel my life changing and not for the better.

Once the "I do's" were done, I was right… my life changed. I was to become the housewife; quit my jobs and stay at home cooking and cleaning. Never mind that I didn't know how to cook. I turned in my noticed at Vinnie's and RangeMan. Connie and Lula were pissed I was quitting, but understood that it was what was expected.

RangeMan, well, no one there said a word as I handed in my badge, key fob, and uniforms. Woody looked like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut. Hal nodded to me as I walked to the elevator. Taking one last look around, I pushed the close door button and rode to the garage.

When I arrived at home, Mary Lou was there to help me fix dinner. She was thrilled that I was now a wife and staying at home; something about her and I having more time for each other and more things in common. I adjusted to my new life as well as I could. I never left the house except to go to the grocery.

I'd run into Lula or Connie every once in a while on the streets and they'd give me an update on the guys… still in the wind, no word on when they'd come home. Both girls wished I'd come by the office more, but I couldn't. The last time I did, Joe found out about it and decided to "teach me a lesson" in case I'd thought about returning to work. It was another three weeks before I left the house again… didn't want to explain the bruises to anyone.

As for my family, Mother was excited that I "finally grew up and stopped being an embarrassment." Daddy didn't say a word about my current situation. Not even when he walked me down the aisle of doom. As for Grandma Mazur, she was the only one to ever voice her opinion on the whole marriage. She knew how miserable I was and tried to help me out as much as she could. Unfortunately, just after my four-month anniversary, Grandma passed away in her sleep.

Joe went to the funeral with me, but mostly to make sure that no one from Rangeman approached me. Even though we were married and the core of Rangeman was gone, he was still worried that some of the guys would show up at the funeral. Well, he was right, Hal, Woody, and Hector showed up; but none of them approached me. They just stayed at the back of the funeral home. I wasn't quite sure why they were there; none of them talked to me. They just paid their respects and left.

Shit! Look at the time. I need to get dinner started so it's done when Joe walks through the door. I don't want another lesson on what time dinner is to be on the table. It's summer time and I'd like to wear my tank tops… not more long sleeve shirts.


	2. Chapter 2

_Standard disclaimer: not mine, no money._

_Thank you for the few reviews... I hope you'll like the story as it gets going... trust me, it will be worth it! Although, i guess I should add a cupcake warning... this will not be a good story for Joe... sorry._

* * *

Joe walked in the door just as I set dinner on the table. Walking over to me, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled my body back against his, "You're learning, Cupcake," he told me as he dropped a kiss to my head.

"I was in the mood for spaghetti and meatballs. I also made some homemade garlic bread," I told him as I grabbed the bread from the oven.

Joe went upstairs to get out of his uniform while I finished setting the table. When he came back down, he had on a pair of jeans only. Sitting down, he began serving the food but I could tell something was bothering him.

"What's wrong, Joe?" I asked. I tried to keep the fear out of my voice; I was pretty sure I'd done nothing wrong lately.

Joe looked up from his plate, disgust in his eyes, "Heard from your friends lately?"

I shook my head, "No, I've not heard from anyone. Why?"

Joe dropped his fork on the plate and pierced me with his eyes, "Don't lie to me, Stephanie. I know you know," he said as he pounded the table with his fist.

I wanted to argue with him, but I knew that only made matters worse. Sine I had no clue what he was talking about, I just kept my mouth shut and hoped he'd tell me so I could convince him that I had no knowledge.

Finally, he looked at me, "Your thug friends are back."

Unable to stop the words from coming out of my mouth, "Who? When? Are they okay?" That might have been the wrong thing to do and I knew it as soon as I said it. Before I had a chance to apologize, I felt his hand across my face. "I'm sorry, Joe," I cried as my hand flew to my cheek. "I didn't know they were home, I've not talked to anyone. I promise."

"Don't treat me like a fool. I know you've been asking about them. I have sources, or did you forget that," he asked as he stood up and flipped the dining room table over; food and all.

I stood up to begin cleaning the mess up, I knew it would be better to clean it now than to wait until later. As soon as went to the kitchen to get a cloth and the trash bag, I felt his fist in my stomach. Doubled over in pain, I clutched my stomach and tried to not cry out in pain.

"Have this shit cleaned up when I get back or you'll get another lesson in house cleaning," he yelled as he slammed the front door shut.

Sitting there on the floor, I couldn't think of anything other than my friends were home. The guys were back. Were they hurt? Were they all back? Would they even realize I no longer worked for Rangeman or Vinnie? Would they find out I was married to Joe Morelli? What would they do or say?

I wasn't sure how much time had passed while I was lost in my thoughts, but knew I needed to get the dining area cleaned up and put back together. Picking up the cold spaghetti from the floor, I tossed it in the trash. Grabbing the rag, I got it wet and wiped the hardwood floors of the sauce. After the floor was cleaned, I righted the table and cleaned it off. Once the area was put back, I took the rags and started the washer. Taking the dishes that weren't broken, I started the dishwasher and decided to take the trash out.

As I stepped out the back door, I saw movement to my right and jumped. Clutching my heart, I stopped all movement and possibly all breathing. There, at the corner of the house, was Bobby and Lester. I knew then that they'd heard about the marriage and job situation. "You shouldn't be here," I whispered to them.

"We know," Les said. "We just wanted to see if you were okay and how things were going." Pointing to the trash bag he asked, "So, it's true?"

Unable to speak for fear of crying, I just nodded. When I looked up, I heard them both gasp… then I remembered what had happened and knew I must have had a mark on my cheek. "I need to get back inside. You need to leave and not come back."

I threw the trash in the bin and made to go in the back door, but a hand shot out and grabbed my arm. "Bomber, let me look at you, please?" I looked back at Bobby's concerned eyes. As much as I tried to keep it from happening, a tear started to leak out.

"No, I'm fine. I just ran into the wall earlier. Really, though, you need to go." I went inside, locked the back door, and sank to the floor letting the tears fall. I heard the roar of an engine and prayed that they guys left and none of the neighbors saw anything. Taking a hot shower, I heard Joe come back as I stepped out. With his pounding up the stairs, I had a bad feeling.

He busted into the bathroom madder than hell, "What the fuck, Stephanie? I leave and you invite two thugs to my place?"

"Joe, I didn't invite them. I went to take the trash out and they were in the back yard. I told them to leave and came back in the house. I swear!" I yelled at him.

I knew it was wrong to yell at him, but I couldn't help it. I didn't know they were coming over here, I didn't really talk to them, I didn't fucking call them; but he didn't believe me. His actions told me he didn't believe me.

The next morning, I woke up and was unable to open my left eye and took stock of my injuries. My ribs hurt like hell, my lip was swollen and split, and I kept my right arm cradled against my side because it hurt to move. I knew I had to do something before I ended up dead, but where could I go? My mother was no help; she didn't believe Morelli was hurting me, even when I showed her the bruises the first time… It was my fault; I must have done something to upset him. My father just sat back and ignored everything that was going on around him. My friends, well, they were far and few between these days.

I knew if I tried to run, Joe would be notified as soon as I stepped outside the door. I decided to wait until Joe left for work and then assess my situation. Joe stirred next to me, wrapped an arm around my waist, and pulled me close to him. I tried not to yelp, but damn it, it hurt.

"I'm sorry, Cupcake. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just so worried that you were going to leave me now that Manoso and his band of thugs are back," he said as he began kissing my face.

"I'd never leave you just because of Ranger, Joe. Ranger and I were never really in a relationship. He doesn't do relationships."

"I know that, but I just lost it last night. I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you," he said as he pulled the sheets down off my body.

"Joe, please, I'm not really in the mood. My body is sore," I whispered.

"I'll make you feel all better," he said as he plunged in me not even making sure I was ready for him. I screamed in pain, but he thought it was in pleasure and kept pounding in me. I prayed for it to be over quickly and, luckily, my prayers were answer when not even a minute later, Joe screamed my name and came.

He pulled out, stood up, kissed my head, and took off for the shower. I tried to stand up, but the pain was too much and I laid back down. I heard the shower turn off and knew Joe would be back in a moment.

"Why don't you stay in today, Cupcake. Take it easy, maybe order out for dinner tonight. I'll be home late, maybe not until tomorrow morning. I have to go to Newark for an assignment." Joe dressed, kissed me goodbye, and left.

"Newark for an assignment, my ass," I muttered under my breath. I decided to wait until I was sure he was gone before attempting to get out of bed. I had to roll to my left side and push up; my right arm was useless with all the pain. When I reached the bathroom, I tried to look in the mirror, but with only one eye, and only partial sight at that, it was hard to see. I gave up and took a quik shower, screaming in pain anytime I moved.

Getting dressed was a pain in the ass, but I managed it in only forty-five minutes. "Who the hell do I call?" If I call Mare, she'll tell Lenny who will tell Joe. I can't call my parents; they don't care. Connie and Lula are out; they'd tell Ranger most likely. That left one person. Grabbing the phone, I dialed and waited.

"Hey Gorgeous," came the voice I'd not heard in a long time. "Long time no talk."

"I know, I'm sorry. I need your help," I whispered. I don't know why I was whispering, but it felt safer that way.

"He hurt you again?" came a growl on the other end. When I didn't answer right away, I heard, "I'll kill him."

"Colin, no. Don't do anything to him. I don't want you in trouble. Just, please… can you come get me?"

Colin Dobri had been a friend of mine for many, many years. I met him when I spent a summer at my Grandma and Grandpa Plum's house. He's two years older than I am, but anytime I needed help, he was there.

"On my way. Give me an hour and ten minutes, twenty tops and I'll be there. Are you safe for now?"

"He's gone to work; said he'd be working in Newark on assignement."

"I'll have my cell on me. You call me anytime you need to talk before I get there. If he gets home before I show up, find a way to get out of there and call me. I don't want you alone with him."

"I will. Drive safe, Colin."

"See ya soon, Gorgeous," he said before he hung up.

Knowing Colin was on the way, I sat in the living room and waited. One hour and eleven minutes later, I heard a knock at the door. Peeking out the living room windows, I saw my savior standing on the porch in faded blue jeans and a grey t-shirt. His sunglasses hid his baby brown eyes, but I knew they were there.

Opening the door, I fell into his arms. He gently picked me up and carried me to his truck. Sitting me inside carefully, he buckled me in and ran to the driver side. Without a word, he started the engine and I felt my courage take a huge leap as I left Joe for the first time in our marriage.

We drove for what seemed like hours, but knew Colin only lived an hour away. I tried to relax and fall asleep, but I couldn't. Every time I closed my eyes, I replayed the night before. I must have been lost in thought, because I jumped when I heard, "Gorgeous, want to tell me what happened?"

I shook my head and closed my eyes, "Not yet. Right now, I just want to get somewhere safe and know he'll never hurt me again."

Colin reached over and took my hand, "He'll _never_ hurt you again. I can promise you that. He'll be lucky if he sees the next day if I ever get my hands on him." Colin squeezed my hand as he pulled up to a gate and entered a code. I didn't even have to look, I knew where we were. My safe haven.

* * *

-AJ


	3. Chapter 3

_I'm soooo sorry for the long delay in posting. I've been helping a friend who just learned she has cancer as well as taking care of my grandchildren non-stop for two weeks. I promise to be better at updating. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! Let me know... I love hearing from everyone!_

_~AJ_

Joe arrived home expecting to find Stephanie in bed sleeping or in the kitchen cooking breakfast. When he didn't see her in the kitchen, he smiled, rubbed his hard-on through his jeans, and headed to the bedroom.

"Cupcake, I'm home and horny," he yelled out as he began unbuckling his belt. When he reached the bedroom, he froze. The bed was empty and he didn't hear the shower. Thinking he may have caught her just as she turned off the water, he grew harder. He loved having morning shower sex, but right after the shower would work for him as well.

Walking down the hall, he saw the bathroom door opened and no Stephanie. Fear gripped his heart as he stormed back in the bedroom. Looking in the closet, he saw a few empty hangers, but nothing to cause alarm. "She must be at her parents mooching breakfast," he said to himself before remembering how she looked, "no, she'd stay away from there."

As he entered the living room and was about to grab his keys, he heard a knock at the door. Opening the door, he saw Mrs. Lynch, his next-door neighbor. "Good morning, Mrs. Lynch," Joe politely greeted.

"Good morning, Joseph. I just came by to see if your wife was okay."

"I'm sure she is. Was something wrong while I was away?" he asked. He was pretty sure Stephanie would have stayed in the house seeing as he'd taught her a lesson before he left.

"Well, yesterday morning, I saw someone come by the house and pick her up. I'd never seen him before. Big fella, 'bout six foot four, I'm guessing. Maybe two hundred twenty-five pounds. He didn't look too happy either."

Joe stood there fighting the urge to scream as Mrs. Lynch described the perpetrator. After he thanked Mrs. Lynch and promised that Stephanie wasn't in any danger, he grabbed his keys and tore out the driveway.

Squealing to a stop in front of Rangeman, Joe barreled in the door and up to the front desk, "I demand to see Ranger now," he growled.

Before Hal could do anything, the elevator dinged and Ranger stepped off, "What do you want Morelli?"

Joe stood toe to toe with Ranger and demanded, "I want Stephanie down here now. She's my wife and you need to step off."

"I'm aware she's your wife, however she's not here," Ranger informed him.

"Bullshit. You and your thugs come back here after months of being gone and the first morning I'm away, she runs. I know she's here and I want her down here now. Don't make me tear this place apart looking for her," Joe said as he leaned towards Ranger's face.

"You fucking son of a bitch, what the fuck did you do to her?" Lester yelled as he lunged towards Joe, fist in the air.

Ranger caught Lester's hand just before it made contact with the cop; he didn't need an employee going to jail for assault. "You best leave before someone else tries to take you out. I told you she's not here and I don't know where she is."

"I'll be back with a search warrant if need be," Joe threatened as he left.

Once he was out of sight, Ranger looked at Lester, "My office. NOW."

Lester nodded and followed Ranger up the stairs. When they reached the office, Lester shut the door and sat down.

"Explain," Ranger ground out.

Lester ran his hands through his grown out blond hair; he'd not made time for a cut since he'd been back. "Look, yesterday when we got back and Bobby and I found out she was married, we headed over to see her. We parked in the alley and hopped the fence."

"And?" Ranger asked.

"She came out with a trash bag, noticed us, and told us to leave. Before we did, we saw a hand print on her cheek. Bobby went to grab her arm and she yelped. Said something about running into a wall."

"What did you do?" Ranger asked trying to control his anger.

"We did what she said. If we'd stayed and Morelli came home, I'm sure she'd have been worse. We figured we'd ask around and see what's going on."

"What did you find out?"

"We asked Connie. She said that shortly after we all left, Steph began getting depressed. Then one day, she walked into the bonds office engaged. A few months later, she was married and quit her jobs. No one really sees her anymore." Lester looked down for a moment, then looked at Ranger, "We're worried about her. She's changed, man."

Ranger sat back and thought, "You think he's hurting her?"

"I wouldn't put it past him. We were going to stake out the house, but since Morelli came here looking for her, I guess she's left. I'm thinking something else happened."

"Why the fuck didn't the guys here protect her?" Ranger asked out loud.

"Maybe they couldn't. You know, all the ones that she normally talks to were gone. The rest of the guys are afraid to talk to her, you know that," Lester admitted. "Maybe it was too much with all of us gone and no one really talking to her."

Ranger called the core team in and explained the situation. They all agreed that they'd be on the lookout for Morelli and that they'd find Stephanie and help her.

Bobby and Lester headed out to do a drive by the house and see if there had been any changes. Not finding anything, they drove around to her usual hangouts, hoping to catch her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

I'd been at Colin's house for a few days; luckily, he left me alone and didn't ask too many questions in the beginning. Finally, on the third day, he cornered me out by the pool.

"Gorgeous, we need to talk," he stated as he slipped into the lounge chair next to me.

Sighing, I turned my face to him and nodded, "I knew it was coming."

"How many times, Steph?"

Before I could answer him, I hung my head. I was ashamed of what I was about to tell him. I knew he'd be pissed; mostly at Joe, but also at me for staying for so long. "I lost count," I whispered.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Colin pound his leg with a fist. "How long?"

Wow, when was the first time? I had think on that. "If I remember correctly, it was one month after we were married. I didn't have dinner on the table as soon as he walked in the door."

"How bad?" Each question and answer brought a new pounding of the fist. I was scared of answering; not because I thought Colin would do something to me, but because I **knew** he'd do something to Joe.

"The first few times, he kept it to where it couldn't be seen. Kidneys… ribs."

Suddenly, Colin was standing and the lounge chair he'd been sitting on was in the pool. Colin walked over to the side of the house and disappeared from my view. I knew I'd pissed him off. Knowing him like I do, I knew he needed time to himself, so I quietly went inside and up to my room.

About an hour later, there was a knock at my door. I wasn't expecting it so I jumped. My leg hit the nightstand next to the bed and knocked the lamp over, causing it to break when it hit the floor. Colin burst through the door and all I could think was he was still pissed and I just pissed him off even more. Curling myself into a ball, I waited for the blow… and waited. It never came. When I opened my eyes, I saw Colin standing there looking down at me with what looked like defeat in his eyes.

"God, what did he do to you?" I heard him whisper as he sat down next to me. Pulling me onto his lap, he wrapped his arms around me, "Did you think I'd hit you?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Not trusting my voice, I nodded and buried my head in his neck. I knew it was foolish, but once you've been hit, your perspective on things change. I felt his hand rub up and down my back and I began to relax.

"Gorgeous, I'd never hit you. Yes, I came in here quickly, but that's because I heard the crash. I was worried you were hurt. I don't care about a lamp; they're replaceable. You, however, are not." He placed a quick kiss to my head and then rested his chin on me.

"I need to ask you something," he whispered. I nodded for him to continue. "Does anyone else know?"

I started to shake my head no, but then remembered about Lester and Bobby, "I'm sure a few people wonder now." Colin pulled back and looked at me. "The day before I called you, I was taking the trash out and two of my friends showed up in the back yard. I told them I ran into something, but I'm sure they didn't buy it."

"Why didn't they do something right then if they're your friends?" growled Colin.

"I ran into the house and locked the door. I'm sure they went back to their work and told everyone else; bet they are camped out looking for either me or Morelli."

"These friends… they some of your Merry Men?" I nodded and saw him do a slight smile. "I need to make a phone call."

"NO!" I yelled. I knew whom he was going to call and I didn't want them involved.

"Steph, you know I love you and that I'll protect you. However, I can't do this on my own. I think it's time to call in some of your friends."

A few hours later, I was sitting in the kitchen surrounded by Colin, Lester, Bobby, Tank, and Ranger. I didn't really want to bother the guys, but Colin insisted.

Sitting there, I played with my napkin and kept my face down. I didn't want to see the pity in their eyes. I knew what they were thinking and I didn't want to face it. I knew I screwed up. I screwed up when I married Morelli, I screwed up when I didn't leave the first time he hit me. Hell, I've screwed up my entire life, so why should now be any different?

Feeling a hand on my shoulder caused me to jump and suck in a breath, "Relax, Gorgeous. I was just trying to get your attention. You've zoned out on us," Colin said as he grabbed my hand.

Squeezing his back, I offered a sad smile, "Sorry."

"Steph, why won't you look at us? Are you upset at us for leaving?" Bobby asked.

Huh? Upset at them? They all think I'm upset with them? So far from the truth it isn't funny. "No, I'm not upset with you guys. You had a world to save. Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

"No you're not, Beautiful," replied Les. "If you were fine, you'd not be here hiding out and we wouldn't be here ready to kill someone for the way you look." Les ran hands through is hair and I could tell he was trying to control his temper.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

Bobby, unable to take my apologizing any longer, slammed his fists on the table, "Damn it, Bomber. Stop apologizing for shit you didn't do. This isn't you. Where the fuck are you?"

Standing up, I looked at the men around the table. The men, that at one point in my life, were my saviors. "I don't know what else to say," I told them before walking off to my room. I knew they were pissed and they had every right to be. I'd messed up big time and here I was, needing bailed out again. When would it ever stop?

I had been in my room for about ten minutes when there was a soft knock at the door, "It's open," I said.

The door slowly opened and I saw Bobby's face appear on the other side, "Can I come in?" he asked.

I sat up and nodded as I watched him walk in and shut the door behind him. He walked over to my bed and stood in front of me looking lost. Finally, he cleared his throat, "May I sit down next to you?"

I looked up at him and wondered, "Why are you asking? You know you can."

"Steph, I'm making sure that whatever I do doesn't startle you or upset you. I want to make sure you know I'm not going to hurt you. I care about you and your safety," he said as he sat down next to me.

I reached out and took his hand; wow, it's so much larger than mine. I sat there staring at the contrasting colors and differences between our hands. His were calloused and mine were smooth. My slender fingers were half the size of his; his entire hand engulfed mine and for some reason, that amazed me.

I felt fingers gently touch my chin and I tried to keep from flinching as I looked over at him, "Where'd you go?" he asked.

"Just admiring your hands. Noticing the differences between us." Taking a deep breath, I decided to ask, "Bobby, how do I get fixed?"

"What do you think is broken?" he asked as he gently wiped the few tears that streamed down.

"Me. I'm so broken. I don't know how I got here. How did I become one of the women that let men beat them? How did I become one of the women that will allow that to continue past the first time and try to hide the evidence so he doesn't get in trouble? I don't understand how I got this way!" I yelled with tears rolling non-stop.

Bobby reached over and pulled me onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around me, he hugged me tight and rocked back and forth. "We'll help you, Steph. You know that. We won't ever let him lay a hand on you again. I promise you, on my life, that he will never get to you again. I will protect you." Bobby kissed my forehead and laid down with me until I fell asleep… at least I'm assuming he did.


	4. Chapter 4

When I woke up, I could hear the hushed voices that sounded like they were in my room. Prying one eye open, I could see Lester, Bobby, and Colin all sitting around the small table in my room.

"Hey guys," I whispered, not wanting to interrupt them, but wanting to let them know I was awake so they didn't think I was eavesdropping.

Colin stood up and walked to my bed, "Hey there, Gorgeous. Sorry if we woke you up," he said as he sat down and brushed the hair from my face.

"No, you didn't. I just woke up." Looking at the other two, I asked, "Why are you in here instead of the living room?"

"We didn't want you to wake up alone," Bobby offered as he came over.

Lester stood as well and walked to the end of the bed, "You gave us quite the scare earlier, and we wanted to be sure to be in here in case you needed us again."

What? A scare? Needed them again? What the hell was he talking about? "Huh?"

Colin grabbed my hand, "Steph, what do you remember last?"

"Bobby came in, we talked, and I fell asleep. Why, what happened?" I questioned.

"Bomber," Bobby said as he sat down and squeezed my arm, "that was yesterday afternoon.

"Shit. So, I've been asleep for?"

"Twenty-eight hours," he finished.

"During that time," Colin spoke up, "you woke up screaming at one point. We ran in here and you were thrashing around in your bed, hollering for Joe to stop and promising to be better. Bobby finally got you calmed down and you fell into a deep sleep again. We've been in here ever since just in case it happened again."

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "It won't happen again."

"Stop that, please," begged Bobby. "I hate seeing you apologize for something you have no control over. None of what has happened is your fault," he said as he leaned down and kissed the top of my head.

I wanted to believe him, I really did. But after all the time I've spent being "trained" by Joe, it was hard to believe I didn't bring this on myself.

"Where's Tank and Ranger?" I asked finally realizing they weren't here.

"They left for a takedown," Lester replied as he rubbed my foot. "They'll be back later if you want them here. If you want someone else here, or for us to leave you alone for a little bit, just say so, but we aren't leaving the house and we aren't allowing Joe to come."

"I don't want him here. I don't want to see him. He'll kill me the next time he sees me," I said getting louder with each word. Oh God, what if they figure I'm too much of a hassle and they call him to come get me.

"Not gonna happen, Bomber," Bobby said as he looked at me. I nodded and looked down. "Guys, can you give us a few minutes alone?"

Colin and Lester left, shutting the door behind them. It was just Bobby and I and I wondered what he wanted. Turning so he could lay next to me, Bobby stretched out and ran his fingers through my hair. "I'm sorry for all you've gone through, Steph. I'm here to make you a promise."

He didn't continue until I looked at him. "I promise you this. Joe will never lay another hand on you. No man will ever lay another hand on you in anger. The only way a man will ever touch you again is out of love, respect, and passion; the way you deserve to be touched. I'm sorry we were all gone at the same time; it wasn't something we had control over. We thought the rest of Rangeman would look out for you; I'm sorry they failed you."

"They didn't," I protested. "They didn't know what was going on. "

"Steph, they knew something was going on, but they didn't try to find out what. They assumed you wanted to marry Morelli."

"I don't want to talk about that right now." Bobby looked at me with question in his eyes. "Colin said you calmed me down?" He nodded. "What did you give me?"

"I didn't give you anything. No drugs, I promise."

"Then how?"

"Just like this," he replied as he laid all the way down and pulled my body to his. His hands ghosted over my side and I could feel the heat from his palms. Even though I wasn't worried about anything at the moment, I could still feel the tension leave my body. Hmm, who knew Bobby had magic hands?

"Not magic, Bomber, just a loving touch," he said as he continued. I heard him take a deep breath and knew he was about to talk. "Steph, I want you to talk to someone. Someone who can help you understand none of this was your fault, that you didn't ask for or cause any of it."

I laid there, not knowing what to say. He wanted me to talk to someone, a stranger… a shrink. "Bobby, I don't think I can," I started to say but he cut me off.

"Steph, you can. I need you to talk to someone, please."

I rolled over on my back and tried to look at him through my swollen eyes, "Why? Why do you want me to talk to someone?"

"I'm about to tell you something that very few people in my life know about." I nodded for him to continue. "My father use to beat my mother. If he came home from work and dinner wasn't ready, he'd smack her around. If the laundry wasn't folded correctly it warranted a punch to the ribs. If the cans in the cabinet didn't all face the front, in alphabetic order, then maybe a kick to the stomach would fix it. I've seen the repercussions, Steph, and I don't want you going through it."

My tears slipped out while Bobby was talking about his mother; I never knew anyone who'd been through it, or anyone who knew someone who had. To hear him talking about what had happened to me forced me to face it. "Bobby, I'm sorry to hear about your mother, but it wasn't that bad with Joe."

"Steph, would you stop defending him! I'm not going to let you defend that fucking monster. NO man has a right to hit any woman. NO ONE. Do you understand me?" he asked with his voice getting louder with each word.

He must have noticed my slinking away from him. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but it was still something that had become normal for me. Hear a loud voice and shrink away, trying to avoid the punch that I knew was coming. Bobby stopped mid rant and looked at me with soft eyes, "Shit, I'm so sorry, Steph. I didn't mean to yell. Oh God, honey, come here," he whispered as he pulled me closer. "I'm so sorry," he whispered over and over.

/\/\/\/\

It was a few more days before I was ready to step foot outside the house. Colin was a lifesaver, he let me stay in the house and never pushed for me to go out. He did, however, push for me to talk to someone like Bobby had suggested. Colin and Bobby talked before Bobby left for work the other day. I guess the name and number just happened to be left on the refrigerator.

I was standing in the living room looking out to the woods when I felt Colin step up behind me, "Morning, Gorgeous. How are you this morning?"

I leaned back against his chest and sighed, "I'm okay. I think I'm ready for a walk in the woods today. I've missed the woods," I told him.

"A walk through the woods sounds great, but first I believe there is a phone call that needs to happen."

Damn, I knew he wouldn't let this drop. "Colin, please. I'm not ready to talk to anyone yet. You, Bobby, Lester, and the guys are one thing, but a stranger? No thank you. I don't feel like baring my soul to a stranger."

"Stephanie, you need to talk to someone. Someone who can make you realize this wasn't your fault. That you did nothing wrong. This, your pain, was all Joe's fault. Please, you need therapy to help you deal with this. I see the pain all day long in your eyes. I hear your cries all night long. I know it's still bothering you."

"I'm going for a walk," I told him and took off out the back door. I knew he'd follow me, but he'd also keep his distance and give me time to myself. Like the guys, Colin liked to keep tabs on my every move. Yeah, where the hell was everyone when I got mixed up with Joe? Why didn't anyone stop me? Why didn't anyone stop Joe from hitting me? Why?

The more I walked around, the more questions I had and the fewer answer that came tom me. I wanted answers, I needed answers. I just didn't know how to get them. I kept thinking of Joe's hands on me, choking me, hitting me. His feet kicking me. I couldn't take it anymore; I had to get away. I stumbled on a branch and sat down, my head on my knees and tears rolling down my face. I was such a screw-up. I allowed my mother to manipulate me into marrying someone I had no desire to marry. I allowed said husband to hit me when things were his way. I allowed said husband to rape me when he wanted sex and I didn't.

I wanted to set my life back eighteen months and start over. I wanted my life back the way it was. I wanted so many of my mistakes to be taken away and made right. I just don't know how to make it happen.

I felt my body being lifted up and carried back through the woods to the house. Being sat down on the bed, I felt my shoes being tugged from my feet. Next came the clothes and then I was lifted again. This time when I was put down, it was into a tub of warm water and bubbles. Looking up, I saw Colin looming over me. "Thanks," I whispered.

"You're welcome," he said as he began running the washcloth over my arms. "You scared me out there."

"How?"

Moving the washcloth to my legs, he answered, "You took off running. I've never seen you run so fast before. I heard you scream and couldn't find you. When I did finally find you, you were curled up in a ball, humming, and not answering me. I did what I could; picked you up and brought you back home." Colin took the washcloth and wiped my face off. "I love you, Gorgeous. But don't you ever scare me like that again."

I looked at his eyes and nodded; I could see how much I'd scared him even though I don't remember doing any of what he said. I just remember walking and then tripping. I don't remember running away from him. Why was I running? I knew he'd not hurt me. Why did I want to be alone all the time right now? That wasn't normal for me; I loved being around people.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I ran." Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and said the one thing I didn't think I'd ever say, "Colin, I think I'm ready to talk to someone. Can you please call and set up an appointment?"

Leaning down, Colin kissed my forehead and smiled, "I'll leave you alone to finish your bath and I'll make the call." He stood up and looked back at me, "You'll be okay, Gorgeous. We'll make sure of it."


	5. Chapter 5

_Sorry for the delay in posting. My grandbabies are all back home with their parents, so I should be able to do this more often. Love my grandbabies, but also love my quiet time! Here is the next chapter... I hope you enjoy! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, messages, alerts, and favorites. I'm so thrilled!_

Colin kept his word that night; he left me in the tub and called Dr. Lynch. Dr. Lynch was evidently someone Bobby had talked to several times before. If Bobby trusted him, then I guess I should, too.

It was two days after Colin made the phone call and my appointment was in an hour. I had gotten ready and was just sitting on the couch relaxing when there was a knock at the door. Getting up, I walked to the door and peeked outside. I couldn't believe who was there. Opening it, I was greeted with the gorgeous smile of Bobby.

"Hey, Steph," he said as he entered and hugged me.

It felt so nice to be in the arms of someone who genuinely cared for me. "Hey," I answered as I pulled away. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if you needed or wanted a lift to Dr. Lynch's office." Bobby reached out and tucked some hair behind my ear, "How are you doing?"

Smiling, I leaned into his touch a little, "I'm doing better." I looked at the clock, "Can I get you anything to eat or drink? I don't need to be to the office for an hour.

"No, I'm fine." He looked at the floor for a minute and when he looked back up at me, I could tell he had a question.

"What are you wanting to ask, but avoiding?"

"It's not a question, but I do have something to tell you." He took a cleansing breath and spoke in an almost whisper, "Morelli has been asking around for you."

"I knew it wouldn't take long. What has he done?"

Bobby led me to the couch and, once I was seated, he sat on the ottoman in front of me, clasped my hands in his, and looked up, "Actually, he came by Rangeman before we even knew you were gone and hurt. It was the day after Les and I showed up at your place."

I felt myself starting to shake; if he'd shown up at Rangeman, what happened? Did he take anyone in? Did he hurt anyone? Did they hurt him and give him reason to arrest them? All those thoughts were flowing through my mind when Bobby reached out and turned my chin to him.

"Nothing happened. He came in demanding to see you; he thought you were hiding out there. We told him none of us knew where you were. He left, but he was pissed. Last night, I ran into him at Pino's. I was picking up some pizza for Les, Hal, and I. He was there, drunk off his ass, mouthing off about how you were this and that and ran out on him. He was miserable and you left him."

I looked at Bobby, "That's not how it happened."

"I know, Steph. Trust me, I know. I saw you, remember?" I nodded and he continued. "Anyway, when I confronted him,"

"Shit, Bobby, you shouldn't have done that. That will give him reason to hassle you."

"It's okay, honey. I can take care of it." Bobby leaned forward and kissed my forehead before saying, "Anyway, when I told him he was nothing but a lying sack of shit and a wife beater, he stopped talking. He looked at me and said some things that I didn't agree with."

"What happened?" I asked unable to stop myself.

"Nothing. He didn't swing, neither did I. He went back to drinking, I grabbed my pizzas and left. I just wanted you to know he's saying shit."

"Let him. I know the truth."

Bobby hugged me to him and kissed my cheek. Looking at his watch, he asked, "Ready to head out? Traffic is a bitch today."

"Sure, let me get my purse," I said as I stood up. Walking out the door, I stopped and looked around. I was still nervous to be out in the open; guess you could say I was afraid that Joe would find me.

"You're safe with me," Bobby said as he grabbed my hand and walked me to the SUV. Opening the door, he helped me up and in. Once he shut my door, he jogged to the driver side and climbed in. "I'll wait for you and bring you back home, okay?" I nodded and stared out the window as Bobby drove through town.

When we reached the office, Bobby walked in with me. He signed me in and brought me the papers to fill out. After I'd filled them out, Bobby took them back to the receptionist and smiled, "Hey, Heidi. Can you let Dr. Lynch know that she's here?" The woman smiled and nodded before Bobby came to me.

"You don't have to stay in here," I told him, but he just shrugged.

A few minutes later a man dressed in black slacks and white dress shirt came out. Bobby stood up and shook his hand, "Dr. Lynch, good to see you."

"You, too, Robert."

Bobby motioned for me to stand, and reaching for my hand, he introduced us, "Dr. Lynch, this is Stephanie. Steph, Dr. Lynch."

We shook hands and I was surprised when he sat down in the waiting room with us. "Stephanie, I know this is your first time here, so I just wanted to get to know you a little out here while Bobby is here to make you feel comfortable. Is that okay?" Not trusting my voice, I nodded. "Would you prefer I call you Stephanie or something else?"

"Steph, please," I answered.

"Okay, Steph, you can call me either Dr. Lynch, Dr. L, or Lyle. Whichever one you feel more comfortable with," he smiled.

Looking at Bobby I asked, "Which do you call him?"

Bobby shrugged, "I was never given an option. It's always been Dr. Lynch. I think he likes you more than he does me," Bobby said with a smile as he reached out and squeezed my hand.

I smiled back at him and then looked at Dr. Lynch, "How do we do this?"

"Well, if you're ready to go back, then you and I will head to my office and Bobby will wait out here." He looked at Bobby and nodded, "Ready?"

I wasn't but knew I had to start sometime, so I stood up, but didn't release Bobby's hand. He stood up and took me in his arms, "You'll be okay, Steph. I'm staying out here; no one will get past that door without me seeing it." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead before sending me back with Dr. Lynch.

Sitting on the couch, I wasn't sure what to expect or how to start. Finally Dr. Lynch said, "Steph, why don't you start with what has happened in the past year or so."

"Well, all my close guy friends left for a while and I guess I let my mother push me into a relationship I didn't want."

"How'd she do that?"

"She kept inviting me over for dinner and every time I went, Joe was there. I've known him my whole life and had a few run-ins with him, but my mother just kept pushing him on me. She never listened to me, even when I was a kid."

"How'd that make you feel?" he asked as he wrote stuff down but never took his eyes off me. I wonder how he was able to do that.

"Like a huge embarrassment to her; and she told me that all the time."

"Told you what?"

"That I was nothing but an embarrassment. Mrs. Gardocki's daughter doesn't let boys touch her. Mrs. Lebowitz's daughter doesn't lose her virginity on the floor of a restaurant." I could feel the tears welling up, but I prayed they'd stay and not fall. Of course, that didn't work as they trickled down my face unwanted.

Dr. Lynch handed me a Kleenex, "Do you think you're an embarrassment?" I shrugged my shoulders and nodded my head. "Why?"

"Well, look at my record! If I wasn't out there trying to make a living as a bounty hunter then I'd not roll in garbage or get my cars blown up. I'd be at home being the perfect 'burg wife."

"Do you want to be a perfect 'burg wife?"

"Fuck no," I replied without thinking. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that."

"No need to apologize." He looked at me a moment before asking, "So, the men left and you ended up in an unwanted relationship. What happened next?"

I struggled with what to say, but finally found the words, "We ended up getting married."

"How'd that feel? Marrying a man that you didn't want a relationship with?"

"It sucked. When we talked about the relationship, we agreed that I could keep my job and friends, but as soon as we were married, he forced me to stop working and I wasn't allowed to see my friends any longer. Not that it mattered; the ones I wanted to see weren't around at the time."

"What did he want you to do instead of working?"

"Be the perfect housewife."

"And were you?" he asked as he continued to look at me and write.

"I tried," I cried. "I really tried. But, I couldn't do it. At least, not to his standards."

"What were his standards?"

"Dinner on the table when he walked in the door; even if he came home early or late. Sex anytime HE wanted it; didn't matter if I did or not."

"Hmm, that sounds more like he wanted a slave." I snorted and nodded. "When you say he wanted dinner on the table when he came home… did he ever call and let you know he'd be home early or late?"

"He did in the beginning, but then stopped."

"What happened if dinner wasn't ready?"

"He'd teach me a lesson," I whispered. Dr. Lynch just looked at me and I knew he was waiting for me to explain. "He'd hit me."

"Do you think you deserved that?" I looked up at him, and for once, I couldn't answer the question. "Steph?"

"I… I don't know," I whispered as more tears leaked out. "I mean, I was the wife, I should have had stuff ready when he came home. My mother even told me that I was to make my husband happy and do whatever it took. When I told her about the beating the first time, she asked what I'd done to deserve it."

"I can give you the answer to that, but I think it would be better if you figured out the answer on your own. I'll help you figure out all the answers you need and I'll help you heal." Dr. Lynch looked at the clock, so I followed and looked. Wow, I'd been in here for almost two hours. It didn't seem like it. "Our time is up for today, but I'd like to speak to you again. Is that something we can do?"

I was really beginning to like Dr. Lynch. He didn't make me feel funny for talking to him. He didn't seem to make me feel stupid or dumb for what had happened; at least not yet. "I'd like to continue talking to you, too."

"Okay, well," he said looking at his schedule, "how's the day after tomorrow? Say the same time?"

"I'll be here," I told him and stood up. We walked out to the lobby and there was Bobby, just as he promised. I shook Dr. Lynch's hand and smiled, "Thank you. I'll see you the day after tomorrow."

Bobby and the doctor shook hands before we left. On the way out, Bobby stopped and turned me to look at him, "You okay?"

I thought about just saying yes, but changed my mind, "Not yet. But, I think I will be."

Bobby smiled at my answer and hugged me again; I don't remember him ever being this touchy-feely before, but I wouldn't change it for anything. On the ride home, Bobby told me that Lester and Hector wanted to come over and see me. I missed my friends so part of me was glad they were coming over. I just hope I was able to have some alone time with Bobby before they got there. I really wanted to talk to just him.

_I have another story in mind that I"m going to start working on, but will not post until this one is about done. I just have stuff floating in my head that i need to get on paper. With that said, would anyone like to volunteer to be a beta for my next story? All I will say is it will be another MM/Steph pairing. Please, let me know by PM._


	6. Chapter 6

_Oops, guess I've been forgetting to put up my disclaimer... not mine and no money... but man, I'd sure love to borrow them sometime!_

We arrived at the house and no one was home, so Bobby and I went to the living room and sat down. "How do you feel after talking with Dr. Lynch?" Bobby asked.

"I'm not sure. I mean I know it's supposed to be good for me, right?" He nodded. "I just… it's different for me to talk about my feelings, especially to a stranger."

Bobby grabbed my hand, "If you ever want or need to talk to someone who knows what you're going through, let me know and I'll listen. I bet I can probably tell _you_ how you're feeling."

I knew Bobby said his mother had been beaten by his father, but he'd never really said much more. "Did he hit you, too?" I watched Bobby's reaction to my question and immediately regretted asking it. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer. I shouldn't have asked."

"Steph, you can always ask me anything you want to know. I'll always find a way to answer your questions." He looked down at the floor to gather his thoughts and when he looked back at me, I saw his eyes wet with unshed tears. "Yes," was all he could say for a few moments.

I felt like I was intruding on his past; a past that he'd obviously buried deep inside. I felt like a bitch bringing it up and I wanted to take it back and never have asked that question. He must have sensed what I was feeling because before I knew it, he had me on his lap with his arms around me. "Never think you can't ask me something. Yes, I've buried that part of me so deep that it almost seems like it happened to someone else, but I have to be honest and say yes, he hit me among other things."

Not wanting to push him too far, I tried to change the subject a little, "Can you tell me all about your childhood? The good as well?"

Before Bobby could say anything, we heard the front door open, "Gorgeous, I'm home," Colin hollered.

"In the living room," I yelled back and tried to move off Bobby's lap, but he wouldn't let me.

Colin walked in, leaned down, and kissed my head, "How are you today?" he asked as he bumped knuckles with Bobby.

"I'm a little better," I told him. "I met Dr. Lynch today."

"How'd that go?" Colin asked as he sat in the chair next to the couch. I proceeded to tell him about the meeting and some of the questions and answers. I didn't tell him all of what was said, but enough so he'd know I did actually talk to the doctor.

Colin looked like he wanted to ask something else, but there was a knock at the door, "Expecting anyone?" he asked as he stood up.

"Lester and Hector said they wanted to stop by," I explained.

"I know Lester, but who's Hector?"

"Another of my friends from Rangeman. He's harmless as long as you treat me right," I told him with a smile.

Colin answered the door and bumped knuckles with Les, "Santos."

"She here?" I heard Lester ask.

"Yeah, her and Brown are in the living room." I saw Colin look at Hector and extend his hand, "You must be Hector."

"Si," Hector said as he assessed Colin. Hector looked over, saw me, and smiled. "Hola, Chica."

"Hi, Hector," I said as I gave a small wave. I heard Hector say something else to Colin, but I couldn't hear what it was and then the two of them walked off to the kitchen. "What was that about?" I asked Lester.

Lester shrugged and sat down next to Bobby and I. "How are you, Beautiful?"

"Would everyone stop asking me that? I fell like if I say I'm okay, it's a lie, but if I say I'm not okay, everyone's going to go kill Morelli."

I felt Bobby's arms tighten around me as he laid his forehead against my shoulder, "Steph, you say what you need to say, don't hold anything in. I promise you, I won't go after him unless you tell me I can. I don't want to hurt you anymore than you've already been hurt."

"Same for me, Beautiful," Lester chimed in.

"Thank you," I said before closing my eyes. When I opened them, I felt a little calmer and like I was able to answer honestly. "Les, you asked how I was and I think I'm ready to give an honest answer."

Before I started, Colin and Hector walked in the living room and sat down in the empty chairs. "I've been avoiding answering the questions for fear of you guys, or the rest of Rangeman, going after Joe. It's not that he doesn't deserve what he'd get, but I'd rather not have my friends in jail."

"We no go jail," Hector said and I knew, in part, he was telling the truth. The guys would hide the body so well, no one would find it. Or, they'd make it look like a suicide or something else. Still, I didn't want that to happen.

"I know. You'd find a way to stay out of the light, but I don't want that. I want him to pay for what he's done, and he will. Just not at your hands."

"Promise," Hector replied with his hand covering his heart.

"Okay. Honestly, I'm scared. I'm scared that he's going to find out where I am. I know I could have gone to Rangeman and you guys would have protected me, but he would have harassed you so much. I didn't want to put you through that. He knows Colin, but I don't think he'd ever find me here."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that. Why would he not find you here?" Bobby asked.

"For one, he doesn't know where I live. And two; let's just say he and I don't get along," Colin said. I could feel all the eyes on him waiting for him to explain. "He knows that if he messes with me I'll have his badge." I heard Bobby take a breath of frustration at how long Colin was taking to explain.

"Colin, just tell them, don't make them beat it out of you," I said.

"Okay. I'm Juniak's nephew. All I have to do is tell him what Joe's done, and bye-bye badge, gun, and job. Hello prison."

They all stared at Colin until Lester spoke up, "Well, then why the hell haven't you said anything?"  
"Because I asked him not to," I told them. "I don't want you guys getting involved in this. Giving me a place to stay, getting me someone to talk to, those are fine, but going after Joe, that's not okay."

Everyone let out a sigh, but I think they understood. About two hours later, Lester and Hector left. Bobby walked out back with me, but didn't say anything. After twenty minutes of walking, I stopped and sat down on a log that had fallen. Patting the spot next to me, I waited for Bobby to sit.

"I wanted to thank you for being here today. For taking me to talk to the doctor and bringing me home. I really appreciate it."

"Any time, Steph," he told me. "You asked about my past earlier and I never got the chance to tell you. I'd love to tell you right now, but I need to head back to Trenton; I have monitors tonight."

"It's okay. I'm sorry to have kept you here so long." I didn't know he had to work tonight or I'd have made him leave earlier today.

"Don't worry about it. I wanted to be here," he said as he took my hand in his once again. "How about dinner tomorrow night? I can come pick you up and take you someplace so we can talk."

I really wanted to say yes, but part of me was screaming no. What if Joe had eyes in the area? I didn't want to be found by him yet. Bobby must have sensed my hesitation or I was quiet for too long. "Steph, we don't have to go. I can ask Colin if I can use his kitchen."

"No, that's fine. I need to get out of here. I'm just worried that Joe will find out where I'm at."

In the end, we agreed that I'd get out for dinner and we'd go someplace quiet and hidden. I had no idea where that was, but if Bobby said he'd make it happen, I believed him. I walked him to the front door and hugged him. He dropped a quick kiss to my head and left.

As I shut the front door, I heard my phone ring. Reaching in my pocket, I pulled it out and looked at the display, "Hey, Ranger," I said answering it.

"Babe. Just calling to check on you," he replied in a quiet voice.

"I'm okay. Lester and Hector left a little bit ago, they should be pulling in anytime. Bobby just left, so he'll be a little bit but he'll make his shift."

"I'm not worried about the boys. I know they'll be here when needed." I could hear he had more to say, but for some reason he was having a difficult time.

"Ranger, what's is it?"

"Can I come see you?"

"Of course. When?"

"Breakfast?" was his only response.

"As long as it isn't one of your healthy oatmeal crap, I'm in. Do you remember how to get here?" I knew he had the GPS and probably still had the address programmed, but asked anyway.

"Babe." After that, I knew he'd hung up.

Grabbing a water, I went to the living room to find Colin stretched out on the floor in front of the couch, reading a book. Sitting on the couch, I finally had the chance to ask, "What did you and Hector talk about in the kitchen earlier?"

Colin looked up and thought about what to say, "He wanted to make sure you were being taken care of. That if you needed anything, I was able to get it and if I couldn't that I let the guys know."

"What else?" I knew that wasn't all of it.

Colin looked down at his book and pretended to be reading, but I knew there was something he wasn't telling me. I just wish I knew what was, because the more I thought about it, the more scared I became. Does Joe already know where I am and Hector was telling Colin to keep me out of sight? Had the guys already done something to Joe and Hector was just informing Colin so he'd know when and how to tell me? I wanted to scream at him to tell me what was said, but I couldn't find the words. Suddenly, it became hard to breathe and my world started spinning.

When I came to, I was in my bed with a washcloth on my face and Colin sitting next to me, running his fingers through my hair. "What happened?"

"You freaked yourself out. I don't know what about, but you go so worked up and I couldn't calm you down. You passed out and I brought you in here so I could lay with you." Pressing his forehead against mine, he whispered, "Would you please stop scaring me to death?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I was just sitting there thinking of what you and Hector could have been discussing and all these thoughts came rushing in at once. Colin, I'm scared."

"Of what, Gorgeous?" he asked looking in my eyes.

"What did Hector tell you? I'm afraid something has happened and you guys are keeping it a secret from me."

Running a hand through his light brown hair, he sighed, "I knew it was a bad idea to keep this from you."

My heart started pounding so hard and fast, I felt like I was going to pass out again. Reaching for Colin's hand, I squeezed it, "What? Keep what from me?"

"Listen, if I tell you, I don't want you to freak out and pass out on me again, okay?" I nodded, but wasn't sure if I had that much control. I just prayed that it was something that I could handle and the guys wouldn't be in any trouble.

_I'm still looking for a beta for my next story... are there any takers? I'm looking for someone who is not only great with grammar and spelling (I try to catch most of my mistakes, but I am only human), but also someone that can help me flesh out ideas and let me know if things make sense or if it needs to be re-done. Anyone?_


	7. Chapter 7

_This one is a little shorter than the other chapters and for that, I apologize. However, I felt this chapter was needed to get the story going to where I want it to go. I hope you'll be happy with it, but if not, I hope you'll come back for the next one ;)_

I stood in the shower letting the water pound on my head and run down my body while thinking back to the conversation with Colin last night. I couldn't believe what he'd told me, but also knew he'd not lie to me; at least not about that.

_Colin took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he looked at me and said, "I've known Hector longer than you think."_

"_What do you mean? When did you meet him?"_

"_I actually met him six weeks ago. I was at a club one night and he was there."_

"_Hector?" He nodded. "My Hector?"_

"_Actually, my Hector," he informed me._

_I knew Hector was gay and that Colin wasn't, so I was surprised to hear they were in the same club. "Wait. What? What do you mean, your Hector?"_

"_Just what I said."_

"_But Hector's gay." Colin nodded. "You're not!" Colin just sat there staring at me. "Oh shit, you? You're gay?" _

"_I am," he admitted to me._

"_But, I've known you forever. Why did you keep that from me? What about the girls you dated?"_

"_Come on, Gorgeous. You know who my parents were. What do you think they'd have done if I'd told them I like guys?"_

_I sat there for a moment thinking. "They'd have shipped you off to a military school until you were straight."_

"_And?" he pushed._

"_They'd have beaten you first," I said in a low voice._

"_Exactly. I couldn't go through that. So, I kept up the charade that I was "straight" and dated girls."_

"_But why not even tell me? I was your best friend then," I cried allowing the hurt to come through my voice._

"_Because, if I'd have told you, you'd have had to keep a secret as well. I couldn't do that to you. Plus, admitting it you, would have meant I'd have to admit it to myself. Back then, I wasn't ready yet." Colin took my hand, "I'm sorry. I know I've hurt you and you're probably pissed at me. I wanted to tell you sooner. Actually, Hector and I were going to tell you, but then he was called away and I never said a word."_

"_So," I said as I tried to absorb what he was telling me, "you and Hector have known each other for almost two months?" He nodded. "And during those two months, you two have been a couple?"_

"_I'm not really sure what we are. During these past six weeks, we talked on the phone, e-mailed, and went out a few a times. We're enjoying each other's company. When he showed up at my house last night, that was the first time we'd seen each other in a few weeks. He called me the night you came here and asked if he could come over, but I told him no and that you were here."_

"_So, when he pulled you into the kitchen?" I probed._

_With a smile, Colin admitted, "At first it was to see if I'd told you yet and then it was for a kiss," as he blushed._

A knock brought me from my daydreaming, "You okay in there, Gorgeous?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" I hollered back as I shut off the water and squeezed my hair.

"It's been an hour and Ranger will be here soon, that's why," he laughed as I heard him walking back down the hall.

When I was dried off and dressed in ten minutes when I was reminded that Ranger was coming over. As soon as I stepped from the bedroom, there was a knock at the door. Colin looked at me, nodded, and opened the door. Ranger stood there dressed in his head-to-toe black, but damn he looked so good.

"Babe," he said as he stepped through the entry.

"Ranger." Ha, take that! Two can play that game.

"Ready for breakfast?" he asked. Before I could shake my head in reply, my stomach made itself known. "Guess that would be a yes."

I kissed Colin's cheek and headed out the door with Ranger. I had no idea what he wanted to talk about, but figured it had to be serious if he was taking me to breakfast.

Ranger led me to his vehicle and, once we were both buckled, he pulled out and headed north. I wasn't sure where we were going, but I figured he knew his way around. After we travelled two blocks, I began thinking that something felt off. Something with the whole Ranger and me situation, but I couldn't place my finger on it. As if he sensed something was wrong, he looked at me, "How are you doing, Babe?"

I was so frustrated with everyone asking me that question that I just finally blew, "Why the hell does everyone ask me that? I don't understand what everyone wants from me. If I tell the truth about how I am, then everyone walks on eggshells around me. If I lie, then I can't stand myself."

Ranger reached over and took my hand, "You don't have to lie to me. I know you, remember?"

"Do you? Do you really know me, Ranger?" I asked him as I felt my voice begin to quiver.

Pulling the car to the side of the road, Ranger put it in park and turned to face me. "What's going on, Steph? I've never known you to question that."

"If you know me so well, then answer me this." I waited for him to nod before continuing, "What happened to me?" The tears sprung free and began rolling down my face. Before I knew what was happening, I was on Ranger's lap with his arms around me and he was whispering in Spanish. What use to calm and comfort me, just pissed me off even more. "Would you stop it with the Spanish shit," I yelled at him.

"I thought you liked it. It's always calmed you before," he said with concern in his voice.

"I use to, but now it just pisses me off. I can't understand what you're saying. For all I know, you're telling me how much of a fuck-up I am and how you're glad I married Morelli and am out of your life."

Looking around, I realized I had no clue where we were or how to get back to Colin's place. Part of me began thinking that Ranger planned that and was trying to get me back to Morelli; after all, he'd sent me back to him before. I knew in my mind that I was being stupid, but it was all that I could think of at the moment.

Sensing a change in my comfort, Ranger looked at me, "Babe, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Ranger. I can't do this. Please, take me back to Colin's. Please?"

I swear he sighed, but nodded, and placed me back in my seat. Pulling back out into traffic, he went around the block and back to Colin's. I sat in my seat, with tears rolling, looking out the window. I didn't want him to see my crying. I didn't know why, but the only place I felt safe at the moment was in Colin's place.

Pulling into the driveway, Ranger cut the engine, "Can I come in and talk to you?"

"Yes. I think we need to," I replied as I opened the door to get out.

When we reached the front door, I was about to use my key when the door opened, "Gorgeous?"

I flung myself into Colin's arms and cried, "I couldn't do it. I tried, but I couldn't. I'm so sorry."

Ranger stepped up behind me, "It's okay, Steph. I shouldn't have pushed."

Colin let me go and I took Ranger into the living room. "Have a seat, I'll get something to drink." I went to the kitchen and grabbed a few bottles of water.

Colin stood at the stove, "Did he force you to do anything?" I shook my head. "Did he say anything to upset you?" Another shake. "Then what's wrong?"

"I need to talk to him, but basically, my mind went into warp speed and thought up all these scenarios that could happen. I freaked." I kissed Colin on the cheek and asked, "Can you give he and I some alone time to talk?"

"Alone as in here, but out of sight, or alone as in go find something to do?"

I knew he was giving me the choice and I appreciated it. Thinking about it, I knew if I asked Ranger to leave at some point, he would. I was safe and, in my heart, I knew that. "Go find something to do." Colin nodded, smiled, and gave me a quick kiss to the head before heading out. When I returned to the living room, Ranger was looking out the window to the woods behind the house.

"It's beautiful out there," I said as I set the bottles down on the table.

Ranger turned to me, and when I saw his expression, I felt my heart shatter. I never thought I'd see the look on his face; he looked like he was crushed or heartbroken. "Ranger? What's wrong?"

With a sad laugh, he shook his head, "It's funny. I never thought I'd hear that from you." He walked over, sat on the beige couch, and reached for my hand in a gesture for me to sit next to him. "I'm sorry for scaring you earlier. I never meant to."

I wanted to tell him he didn't but truth was, I wasn't sure what scared me. "I don't know what happened. One minute, I'm excited to be going to breakfast with you. The next, my mind is telling me that this is just a stunt to get me back to Morelli."

"Steph, I'd never send you back to him," he replied.

"But you did once."

If I hadn't been watching, I'd have never seen the anger flash across his face. It was the same look Joe has before he hits me. I tried not to show fear, but I don't think it worked since Ranger slammed his blank face down and hung his head, "I didn't mean to scare you again." Standing up, he ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, "I don't know what to do here, Steph. I want to help you, but something in me is saying you have all the help you want right now and you won't accept what I offer."

"If a safe house is what you have to offer, then listen to yourself. I'm safe here. Joe won't know where I am until I file for divorce."

"When are you doing that?" he asked as he sat back down.

"I'm not sure. I need to find a lawyer that will take a payment plan. I have no money to my name," I whispered.

"I can get Parkman to help you," he started to say but I interrupted.

"No. I don't want you shelling out more money to help me. You've done enough. It's time I learned to stand on my own two feet. I need to take on Joe on my own. I can't have you helping me."

I knew it hurt him that I'd let him, but I needed to find out how to do this on my own; I just hoped he'd respect my wishes.

Ranger reached across and grabbed my hand, "If you need anything; someone to talk to, yell at, punch, or just a hug, call me and I'll be here. I promise." I watched him lean in and as his lips touched mine in a soft and gentle kiss, it was then that I realized what felt off. There was no tingle. None, zip, zilch, nada. When the hell had that happened?


	8. Chapter 8

_So sorry for the delay... but, here is the next chapter. Thank you for the reviews, alerts, and favorites. I really appreciate it!_

BPOV

Lester and I were sitting in Shorty's when the little silver bell above the door jingled. Looking up, we spotted Morellin walking in and towards our table. "Shit, what the fuck does he want?" I muttered under my breath.

Joe sauntered up to our table and glared at us, "Where the fuck is my wife? What have you done with her?"

"WE," I growled, "have done nothing with her or to her. You, on the other hand, cannot say the same." Lester reached over and squeezed my shoulder; he knew I was about to blow.

"Morelli, I think you best keep walking," Lester said as he looked Morelli in the eyes. "You have no business with us and we don't wish to speak to you."

Joe looked around the room and noticed there weren't many cops around, so he lowered his voice and looked at me and Lester, "I _will_ find her and when I do, she will pay for leaving me."

I stood up so fast Lester had no chance at holding me back. Before Joe knew what was happening, I had him up against the wall with my arm across his neck, "You EVER threaten her again and I'll make you pay. You will never lay another finger on her for as long as I live. You got that?"

Lester tried to get me to back off, but I wasn't listening and Les was afraid his friend was about to kill the cop. Finally I pushed Morelli one last time in the throat before releasing. As Joe was gasping for air, he looked at me, "You just signed your death warrant."

"No, fucker. You signed yours the first time you laid a hand on Stephanie." I was itching ot punch him in the face, but Lester shoved me away from Joe.

"Not here man. Just walk away, c'mon, let's go." Lester pulled me out the door and shoved my ass in the SUV. I was pissed at him for not letting me fight the pussy, but I knew he was right. I'd have a better chance when I could get the asswipe alone.

"I'm fine," I growled as Les looked at me from the driver side.

"What the fuck was that? You trying to get arrested, dude?"

"What that was, was defending Stephanie. Someone has to stick up for her and that fucker sure as hell as no idea what to do other than to beat the fuck out of her. You saw what he did to her."

"Dude, chill the fuck out. Don't yell at me. I know what he did to her and I agree, he needs to pay. But don't do shit that's gonna take you away from helping her. You seem to be the one she's leaning on right now. You and that Colin dude. Who the hell is he anyway?" Les asked.

"Someone she's known since she was kid. I guess he lived next to her grandparents house and they played together all the time. I've talked to him a few times since she been with him; he seems to really care for her."

I leaned my head back against the black seat and closed my eyes. It had been a few days since I'd seen Steph face to face. Sure, I've talked to her on the phone every night, but there is something about seeing her in the flesh that calms my soul. Talking to her on the phone is great, but there's a feeling that comes over me when I see her that I can't explain.

Fuck, when the hell did I start to sound like some fucking puppy in love? I'm not a fucking puppy; I'm a soldier. Soldiers don't do puppy shit. Oh who the hell am I kidding? Every one of us changed the day that curly haired woman walking into our lives. She has this sense about her that just makes you fall for her and beg her to command you. Fuck, she could tell me to rub her fucking pinkie toe and I would without hesitation. I'd would brush her hair, strand by strand if she only asked.

"Dude, are you even listening?" I heard Les say. Damn, what the hell? Day dreaming? Shit, he'll never let me live that down if he knew what I was thinking.

"Just shut the fuck up man, my head is pounding!" I told him trying to hide the fact that it wasn't the upper head that was pounding. Just thinking about Stephanie lately has made me harder than I've ever been. What the fuck is up with that? She's a married woman; yeah, she's married to a wife beater and she'll be filing for divorce, but still. Wait, she's hasn't mentioned divorce. OH hell no! She better not stay with that fucker. I need to talk to her to see what she's planning on doing!

I looked up to see Les pulling into the underground garage at Rangeman. I wondered if it was too early to call Steph. Glancing at my watch, I saw it was one thirteen in the afternoon and figured it was safe.

"Got a hot date?" Les teased.

"No, why?"

"That is the fifth time you've looked at your damn watch since we Shorty's. I'm beginning to think you and that watch have something going on," he laughed.

"Shut the fuck up and leave me alone. I'm heading to my apartment. I'll be up on five soon."

As I left the SUV and headed to the elevator, I heard Les shout, "Tell Rosie I said hi." My only response was to flip him the bird. Let him think I was going up stairs to jack off, he didn't need to know I was calling Steph just to hear her voice.

I dialed her number and walked to my bedroom as I waited for her to pick up. "Hello?" came the sweetest voice ever.

"Hey, Tiger, how are you?" I don't know where it came from, but the past few nights when I've talked to Steph, I'd begun calling her Tiger. She doesn't seem to mind and I like it, so I'll stick with it.

"Hey, Bobby," she said and I could hear a smile.

"How are you today?" I asked her as I laid my head back on my pillow.

I could hear her moving around and figured she was in the backyard staring at the woods. "I'm okay."

"How's the woods today?"

I heard her laugh a little and it made my heart soar. I can't tell you the last time I heard her actually laugh. "How'd you know where I was?" she asked.

"I could hear the trees blowing in the background and I know you love it there."

"It's beautiful here and so calm and comforting." I heard her take a deep breath and imagined her looking around at all the trees and wishing she could fly above them. "What's up with the early call?"

Now, here's the thing. Do I tell her about my run-in with Morelli or just keep it between Les and I? "I just felt like calling you after Les and I returned from Shorty's. I have to be upstairs in a few, and wasn't sure when I'd have a chance to call you tonight."

"Shorty's, huh? Trying to avoid someone particular?"

"Trying to avoid a confrontation is more like it, but it didn't work," I said figuring I'd better just tell her.

"What do you mean it didn't work?" she questioned and I could hear the fear in her voice.

Here goes nothing; I know she's going to be upset, but hopefully she'll not be too pissed. "While Les and I were in Shorty's, Morelli came in. He started running his mouth and I stopped him." I waited for her to say something, but after a minute of silence, I had to ask, "Steph, you still there?"

"Did you kill him?" she whispered.

"No. As much as I wanted to, I knew you'd be pissed if I did. I did have a chat with him, though." I ran my hand over my face; I hated talking to her over the phone about this shit because I couldn't be there to hold her. When I heard her sniffle, I knew she was crying. Fuck! "Steph, talk to me."

"I just don't want you to get in trouble. It's all my fault. Had I not left him, you'd not have to talk to him and things would be okay. Things would be the way they're supposed to be."

Oh fuck that shit. Hell no, she was not taking the blame for this. "Stephanie, stop right there. You are not to blame for any of this. HE is the one to blame. He's the one that put his hands on you. He's the one that thinks it's okay to drink and to hit women. I have no problem telling him what's right and wrong and if it takes my hands or gun to get it through his head, then that's what it takes."

Steph and I talked for a few more minutes and when I was sure she was going to be okay and not blame herself for the run-in with the asswipe, I told her I needed to get upstairs and on the monitors. After we hung up, I raced upstairs to find Les sitting behind the monitors smirking at me. Yeah, let him think I was whacking off; he doesn't need to know the real reason I was thirty seconds late.

OOO

JPOV

Where the fuck is that stupid cunt? I've been looking for her for weeks and can't catch a break. Every fucking day I'm out there hanging out where she goes and yet no one has seen her. I decided to stop at Shorty's today when I saw the black SUV sitting there in the parking lot; thought maybe I'd be able to catch the bitch having lunch with her so called friends.

Walking in, I saw two of the thugs sitting at the table. I walked over to them and asked where she was. Damn fucking hater threw me up against the wall and threatened me. ME! I'm a fucking police officer. He can't threaten me. I will get even with him… right after I take care of my needs.

I pulled into the secluded parking lot behind the motel on Route 1. I had a little piece that was gonna meet me here and take care of me since my bitch of a wife isn't home to do it. I have no clue who she is or what she looks like; I have a friend that set me up with her. He said that she knew what men liked and she'd take it anyway I wanted to give as long as I didn't tell anyone. Hell, I'm cool with that shit!

I knocked on the door to room 227 and was surprised when the door opened to reveal who my servicer was for the night. I think she was just as surprised as I was. No way in hell I would have ever thought she'd be into any of this shit. But, I have to admit, looking at her dressed in that red negligee and those high-heels made my dick harden instantly.

I pushed her back into the room, shut and locked the door behind me. As I began to unbutton my shirt, she reached out and took care of that for me. Now THIS is what I'm talking about. Someone who knows how to take care of a man without being told. Hell, maybe I married the wrong woman!

"Joseph, I'm surprised to see you at the door, but I must admit, I'm glad it was you," she purred in my ear as her hands reached down and undid my pants.

"Yeah, I bet you were surprised." As she kneeled in front of me and took my cock in her mouth, all I could say was, "Now, if what I've heard is true, and you'll let me do anything to you, then this will work out just fine, Mrs. Plum."


	9. Chapter 9

_Happy Monday evening... sorry this wasn't up earlier, but I had to re-write some of it... I didn't like the way it sounded. I hope you'll enjoy the chapter... we're moving forward about three months, but I promise... there is a lot more to come... don't worry! Thank you all for the reviews, alerts, and favorites. I truly appreciate them all!_

_~AJ_

I stepped into the kitchen and saw Colin standing at the island drinking his cup of black coffee. Smiling, he handed me a mug filled with the wonderful morning concoction mixed just the way I like. "Morning, Gorgeous," he told me over the rim of cup.

"Morning." Taking a sip, I moaned and looked at him, "Thank you!"

"Plan for today?" he asked with another smile on his face. Something that I'd been seeing more and more of lately. Something that I've attributed to the relationship between he and Hector.

Not wanting to see his smile fade, I nodded and proceeded to tell him about my plans for the day. I knew he'd be shocked, but I also hoped that he'd understand and stand behind me. When I was done talking, he stood there and stared at me. "Well?" I asked as I bounced from one foot to the other.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" I nodded and it was my turn to smile. "Okay then. Anything I can do to help?"

"Nope," I told him, unable to wipe the smile from my face… damn it was contagious! As I was about to say something, there was a knock at the door and Colin went to answer. I heard the voice that I'd grown accustomed to hearing at least once day and my smile grew even more… so much more that my cheeks began to hurt when he walked in the kitchen.

"Hey there, Tiger," he said as he dropped a kiss my forehead.

As I wished his lips would linger more, I felt him pull away and tug on my hair. "Hey. What brings you by so early?"

"I believe you have an appointment with Dr. Lynch and, if I remember correctly, I've always driven you."

"That you have. I can't think of a single appointment that you've not taken me to." In the three months that I'd been staying with Colin, Bobby has taken me to every single appointment, waited in the lobby for me, and then taken me out to lunch or a snack afterwards. I don't know why I thought today would be any different.

"Ready?" he asked as he poured himself some coffee in his travel mug and added some cream. How he could drink it without sugar is beyond me, but hey… to each is own.

I hoped off the stool, grabbed my mug, kissed Colin on the cheek, and headed out with Bobby. I knew he was going to learn a lot today and wondered how he'd feel about what I was going to do. I felt the best way to do this was just ask him to come back while I talked to Dr. L; then I'd only have to say it once more.

As we pulled into the parking space, Bobby cut the engine and turned to face me. Twirling my hair around his fingers, he asked, "You gonna tell me what's going on in the beautiful head of yours?"

I couldn't help the blush that crossed my face. I wasn't use to that kind of attention anymore. Up until three months ago, the only attention I received was the beatings or put-downs from Joe. Bobby, Colin, and Hector had been working on complimenting me as much as possible until I told them I couldn't take it anymore.

"I have made some decisions over the past few days and I'd like to share them with Dr. L," I told him. When he nodded, I could tell he was a tad disappointed that I'd not included him in the plans. Well, I'll just wait and call him back with me when I go. I do so love to surprise him.

We'd been in the waiting room for just about three minutes when Dr. L came out to get me. I stood up and reached for Bobby's hand, laughing at the confused look on his face. "I want you to come back with me today."

Bobby stood up and looked at me, "Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure. I'd planned on you coming back with me today all along. I just didn't want to tell you yet." With that comment, he tugged on my hair again and kissed my head.

"I'll get you back, Steph," he warned me as we walked down the hall; my hand in his.

As we settled in the office, Dr. Lynch looked at me, "Well, how are you today?"

"I'm good. Great, actually. I've made some decisions, but I'm just not sure where to start," I explained while practically jumping in my chair. "I left Joe three months ago. I've made some changes in my life and I'm ready to continue. However, I don't want to go back to my old life. I don't want the ridicule, teasing, beating, and crap like that. I don't want to go back to hearing what a disappointment I am to people."

Nodding, Dr L said, "I can understand that. So, what decisions have you made?"

Looking over at Bobby, I smiled when he took my hand in his and squeezed. "I'm ready to look for my own place. I need to move out of Colin's; for more than one reason," I added.

Bobby became concerned, "What's wrong at Colin's place?"

"I just haven't had any sleep the past three nights," I said.

"Why not?" asked the perplexed doctor.

Without even thinking about filtering what I was about to say, I just happened to blurt it out. "Because he's getting more sex than I am and they are so not quiet!" Bobby and the good doctor laughed which caused me to blush again. "Sorry," I said as I buried my face in my hands.

"No reason to be sorry, Steph," Dr. L told me. "So, your roommates girlfriend has been sleeping over the past few nights?"

"No. Not a girlfriend. It's his boyfriend."

"Ah, well. If they are too loud for you, have you mentioned it to either of them?"

"Are you nuts?" I said a little louder than I intended. "They'd both be mortified if they knew I could hear them. I'D be mortified if I had to tell them that I could hear them."

Bobby sat next to me laughing… seriously, I could see his shoulders shaking. "I'm sorry, Steph," he told me between laughs. "I just talked to Hector this morning and asked him where he'd been the past two nights because we needed him to do some decoding for us. He looked at me and said…" more laughing. "Oh shit, he told me he'd been _exercising_ for hours on end after his shift."

Okay, I'll admit it, with that, I had to laugh, too. It was the first time in a very long time that I'd actually laughed. I don't mean a _I'll laugh at your joke to be nice_ laugh. I mean a full on laugh until I had tears rolling down my cheeks laugh.

And then it stated. I couldn't stop the crying. I went from crying due to laughing to crying because I had just realized something else. Bobby, being as attuned to me as ever, sensed the change in tears and stopped laughing. "Steph?"

"I just realized that I can't move out yet," I told them both.

"Why not?" asked the wonderfully amazing, yet not so smart at the moment, doctor.

"Because I don't have a fucking job. No job means no rent. No rent means no place to live."

"Steph, you'll always have a job at Rangeman. The guys love working with you."

"Not all of them. Hell, half of them don't even talk to me… never did really."

"Steph, they didn't know you when we all left. Come work for Rangeman again, get to know them. I'm sure they'll all love you."

I looked down at the floor and closed my eyes, "Yeah, until you have to leave again. Then where will I be?"

Bobby turned my chin to him, "Steph, I'm sorry that we all had to leave like we did. But that will never happen again, I promise you that."

"Don't promise me something you have no control over. You've never lied to me before, so don't start now."

"I'm not lying, Steph. That mission that we did; that was the last one for me and Manny. Les, Tank and the rest only have three months left on their contract. Ranger, well… he resigned for three more years. But, I'm telling you here and now. I'm not leaving you again."

It took a second for that to set in and when it did I cried harder. "You're really telling me that you never have to leave for another country again?" He nodded and smiled. "You'll always be here if I need you?" Another nod and smile. I couldn't help it; I flung my arms around his neck and held on for dear life. Here he was, telling me that he'd never have to leave again. He'd always be around for me to talk to when I needed it. I couldn't have asked for anything else.

When he pulled back, Bobby wiped my tears away. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't have been here for those horrible eighteen months. I didn't mean to let you down."

"You didn't," I whispered. How could he think he let me down? Just because he's my friend and he did his job?

"Steph, take the job at Rangeman. Your cubicle is still there. I promise, I'm not leaving again."

I was two seconds from saying that I'd take the job… then I remembered, "Shit, I can't." I looked at Bobby and sighed, "I don't have car."

"Look at me," Bobby said. "I know at least three guys that would love to give you a ride to work and home. Myself included."

"I don't want to make the guys travel out here to get me every day," I told him.

"Then, come live at Rangeman for now."

"NO," I said a little too loud. "Sorry, but I don't want to live there. If Joe were to find out, then he'd be there every day causing trouble. I won't do that to Ranger and the guys."

"Okay, then we will find you an apartment outside Trenton," he tossed out.

"I can't afford one right now," I reminded him.

Dr Lynch had heard enough, "Steph, let Bobby and the guys help you. Let them drive you back and forth to work. Find an apartment close to the office and, when you've made enough money, look for something else later. I think this will be a fresh start for you."

Nodding, I looked at Bobby, "If I agree to let you guys drive me, then I need a place closer to the office. Are you sure that I can have my job back?"

"No one has touched your cubicle. Everything is just as it was when you left. Well, minus the searches that were in your box," he laughed.

I sat there for a few moments thinking about it and finally realized there was only one thing to say, "Okay. I'll look for a place closer to Trenton and take my job back if it is still available." The look on Bobby's face was like he was a kid on Christmas morning. "One more thing."

"What's that?"

"I need a good lawyer. I want to start the divorce papers. I'm ready to build my life the way I want it." Bobby pulled me onto his lap and hugged me tight.

"I'm so proud of you for taking your life back and making it what you want. I'll be here every step of the way that you allow. If I get too pushy, just tell me and I'll back off."

"Thank you," I whispered as I kissed his cheek.

Dr. Lynch cleared his throat, "Okay, I guess my work for this week is done."

"Just what did you do this week?" I teased the doctor which earned me one of his well guarded laughs.

"I'll see you next week, Steph. Just remember. If you ever need to talk, my phone is always available. We'll either talk over the phone or I'll make time for you."

I stood up and shook the doctors hand, "Thank you. I'll see you next week."

"Don't forget your homework for next week," he said as I reached for my purse.

"Okay… wait. What?" I asked when I realized what he'd said.

"Your homework for next week," he replied. "Find a place to live, get a job, and file the divorce papers. I want proof of all of that next week. Then we'll work on the rest of your objectives."

"Okay," I told him as I walked to the door with Bobby behind me. Stopping at the front desk, I made my appointment for next week and then we were left the office.

"Where to?" Bobby asked after we were both buckled in the SUV.

"Well, you heard the man. I need a place to live and a job," I told him with a smile.

"Steph, there may be an open apartment on four if you want. Just until you find something else."

I wanted to say no, but I knew that I couldn't ask the guys to drive an hour each way to cart my ass back and forth to work; that is if I still had a job with Rangeman. I know Bobby said I did, but until I talked to Ranger and Tank, I wasn't sure.

"If I have a job at Rangeman and if there is an apartment available without making someone move, then I'll consider it. But not permanently; I won't have Joe harassing you guys."

Bobby smiled, started the engine, and reached over for my hand. Placing it on his thigh, he held it while we drove back to Trenton. The closer we seemed to get, the more knots grew in my stomach. I couldn't believe it had been three months since I'd seen or heard from anyone except for Bobby, Hector, Les, and occasionally Ranger.

As we pulled into the parking garage, my palms began to sweat as I worried about the welcome I'd receive. Bobby tugged on my hand, "Ready, Tiger?" he asked with a smile. When I didn't smile back he pressed on, "It will be fine, Steph. Trust me, they all care about you."

Before I could say anything, my door was opened and there stood Lester, Tank, Hector, Manny, and Cal. Oh boy, nothing like confronting them all at once.


	10. Chapter 10

_I must say I'm surprised… 68 followers, 16 favorites, and yet only 4 reviews each for the last few chapters. Am I doing something wrong? Are people not ready for a Bobby & Steph pairing? I will admit, seeing the reviews dwindle is making it hard for me to write… I feel like no one is really reading or enjoying so why bother? But… here is the next chapter just in case there are some of you actually enjoying. (Thank you Karren, Whymelucylu, Barb4psu, and, Jordana Babe for your reviews of the last chapter. I really appreciate it!)_

I looked back at Bobby, took a deep breath, and stepped from the vehicle. Instantly, I was wrapped up in Lester's arms, passed off to Hector, and then the rest of the men took their turn. I was in Tank's arm last and he looked down at me, "It's nice to have you back here, Little Girl," he said as he placed a kiss on my head. I could have sworn I heard a growl come from behind me, but when I looked, I only saw Bobby standing there so that didn't make sense.

"Uh, hi guys," I hesitantly said.

Cal and Manny stepped forward and I may have stumbled backwards a little. Bobby noticed and held his hand up, "Guys, stop. Don't crowd her, okay?" When they nodded, Bobby wrapped his arm around my waist and leaned in close to whisper, "They're not going to hurt you. They all love you."

Turning to look at him and hopefully keep everyone else from hearing, I whispered, "I know that, but part of me is still scared. Can we just please go to your place so I can settle down for a minute?"

Looking at me, he must have noticed how scared I was feeling because he nodded and pushed through the crowd, "We'll be up on five shortly. Steph just needs a few minutes to herself."

Everyone stood back and allowed us to pass. I could see a few who looked like they wanted to reach out to me, but Bobby shook his head and they pulled their hands back. In the stairwell I kept a hold of Bobby's hand; I just had a feeling that someone was going to jump out and take me away. Reaching his apartment, he swiped his card to unlock the door and we entered. Once the door was shut, I let out a huge breath of air and collapsed on the couch, tears pouring out.

I felt the cushion next to me dip down and knew Bobby had sat next to me. Pulling me into his embrace, he rocked me back and forth while rubbing my back, "It's okay, Steph. It will get easier, I promise."

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, but when I finally looked up at him, Bobby was staring off in the distance. I whispered his name a few times, but it wasn't until I reached up and touched his face that he responded. "Sorry," he said as he pushed the hair off my face. "I don't know where I went." Standing up, he ran his hand over his braided hair, "Can I get you anything?"

Shaking my head, I watched as he went to the kitchen. I really wanted to ask where his mind was but I didn't want to intrude. When he came back with a bottle of water, he sat down next to me and slung an arm around me again. "Steph, I was thinking about your living arrangements."

Shit, he's realized that with me living here, Joe will be here harassing the guys and he's going to tell me that it's not the best decision. I know. Damnit, how could I be so stupid? Why would the guys want me here? I'll just bring more trouble and headaches to them. Hell, maybe I should just go back to Joe. Maybe, just maybe, one of the next times he hits me it will be hard enough to kill me and then I won't have to go through this anymore.

"God DAMNIT, Stephanie. You listen to me and you listen to me well," Bobby yelled causing me to shrink into the couch. I didn't think he'd hit me, but I've seen that look before. "You will NEVER go back to him and if I EVER, and I do mean ever, hear you talking about letting Joe killing you, I will lock you away and you will never see daylight again until you understand that I will die before I allow that to happen. Do you understand me?"

I could see the anger rolling off him and was afraid that the guys in the building could feel it shaking. I lowered my head so he wouldn't see the tears. "I'm sorry," I whispered. I knew it wouldn't mean anything to him, but I was sorry. I was sorry I said it and I was sorry I hurt him.

Bobby sat down and pulled me onto his lap before wrapping his arms around me, "Steph, I'm sorry for yelling. I just… God do you know what it does to me when I hear you talk like that?" I shook my head. "When I hear you talk like that, wishing that Joe would hit you hard enough to kill you, it breaks me. I don't know how any of us would go on if you were gone."

I snorted at that; they'd get along just fine. They lived before I came into their life and they'd live if I was gone. Hell, it might be easier on them never having to worry if I was injured. Ranger wouldn't bleed any more money on me. Sure, their entertainment would be gone, but I'm sure they'd find more.

"Steph, look at me, please?" Bobby asked on the verge of begging. I looked up and he wiped my tears away. "What I was going to say was that I have a solution for your living arrangement. You said you didn't want to live here, right?" I nodded. "Then hear me out, okay?"

"Okay," I replied as I tried to move off his lap but he wouldn't let up.

"I have a house twenty-five minutes from here. It isn't much, but it's mine. You could stay there until you have enough money to look for a place to call your own."

"Bobby, I don't want to put you out," I protested.

"You won't be. Honestly, I don't stay there much. I typically sleep here. We have our laundry done, food cooked, our apartments cleaned, and if something happens that needs maintenance, that's provided. I've seriously considered selling my place."

I looked at him and considered him owning a home. I wasn't sure why I'd never thought of it before, but I'd never really considered any of the men owning their own place. I just assumed they all lived on site. "How long have you owned your place?"

With a smile, he answered, "Three years. I've done some work on it; well, Les, Tank, Ranger, Manny, Cal, and I have. We've all spent time fixing it up."

"You make it sound run-down."

"Well, it's a fixer-upper that I purchased. I'd been looking for something to do on my down time to relieve stress and, when I told the guys what I'd bought, they all thought it was a great idea. So, they'd all help out when they needed to get their frustrations out and didn't want to hit the gym."

"What's it look like? Do you have any pictures?"

"I'll tell you what. Let's go talk to the guys about getting your job back and then I'll take you to the house and let you look around. Then you can decide if you want to stay there for now."

"Would you still stay here?" I asked in a low voice.

Thinking before he responded, Bobby finally said, "What would you like? I can stay either place, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Sighing, I knew that it would be an adjustment to return to living on my own. I knew it was my ultimate goal, but was I really ready for it? "Can we look at it first and then I can let you know?"

"Of course. You can even change your mind later if you want to. I just want you to be safe, happy, and able to live again," he said as he kissed my cheek before letting me up from his lap. "Now, get ready to go talk to Tank and Ranger. I need to grab a few things before we head up."

I used his restroom and splashed some cool water on my face. When I stepped from his bathroom, I saw him grab a piece of paper and stick it in his pants. "Ready?" he asked when he saw me standing there.

"As I'll ever be." I reached for his hand, "I want to thank you."

"For what?" he questioned.

"For being there for me these past few months. For allowing me to lean on you when I needed a kick in the ass. For offering your home to me."

"Well, you haven't seen it yet, so don't thank me for that yet," he joked.

When we arrived on the fifth floor, I saw Tank standing in the hallway talking to Lester. When they looked up, both smiled and began walking towards me. Bobby squeezed my hand reminding me it was safe here and I was protected.

"Hi guys," I said in a low voice.

"Little Girl, it is great to see you again. I've missed you," Tank said as he opened his arms for a hug. I hesitated for a second, but that was it. Before he could even start to drop his arms, I was in them. I felt him relax while hugging me and knew that we'd be okay. He wasn't upset for anything I'd done.

Lester tapped me on the shoulder and, when Tank released me, scooped me up in his arms. "I've missed you, Beautiful," he said before whispered, "You doing okay?"

I nodded and kissed his cheek, "I'm doing better. I actually came in today to talk to Tank and Ranger about a job."

"Really?" asked Lester with joy in his voice. He looked at Bobby, "She telling the truth?"

"Have you ever known her to lie about that?" Bobby answered.

"Then, hell, what are we standing out here for? Let's go find Ranger!" The four of us took off down the hall towards Ranger's office. I saw the door shut and was hesitant to disturb him, but Lester wasn't. The banging on the door was enough to prove that.

"Enter," Ranger barked out.

Les opened the door, allowed me to step in, and shut the door once the other guys were in the room. Ranger looked up, saw me standing there, and dropped his pen… I think he was a little shocked to see me there.

"Babe," he said as he stood up and walked to me.

"Hi."

He reached for me, but then dropped his arms before I could move. I knew he wanted a hug, but was respecting the boundaries he thought I'd set a few months ago. I decided if I was going to allow myself to have friends again, I needed to make the first contact. So, I stepped up to him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and squeezed with my head on his chest. After I counted to five, I finally felt his arms come around me and he let out a huge breath.

"I've needed that," he whispered to me before he let me go. I nodded that I'd needed it too. We'd not seen each other since that time he showed up at Colin's and tried taking me to breakfast.

Once I was back by Bobby's side, we all sat and got down to business. "What brings you by, Babe?"

Looking down at the floor, I noticed that shoestrings were getting dirty. I hate dirty shoestrings; time to go get new ones. I felt a hand rub up and down my back and, when I looked up, I noticed it was Bobby giving me comfort as usual. Smiling at him, I took a breath and laid it all on the line.

"I've decided to make some changes in my life. I'm moving on to a better me. I've come to ask if I could have my job back. I know I left without notice last time, and I'm sorry. That will never happen again, I promise. So, if you could find it to forgive…"

"Stephanie, stop," Ranger said trying to get a word in. I looked up at him and just knew he was going to tell me that position was filled or they didn't need me. "The job is yours, Babe. Always has been, always will be."

"Welcome back, Beautiful," Les said as he bumped my shoulder with his. I smiled at him and said thank you.

"There's more," I informed them. "I'm going to need a ride to work and home, at least until I can get my own vehicle again. But that won't happen until I get a few paychecks in an account that I still need to set up."

"I can help you with that, Little Girl. Even set it up under an alias so Joe can't find it."

"Really? I hadn't thought of that, but if you could, that would be great," I told Tank with a smile.

"What else?" Ranger asked. "The ride situation is taken care of."

I wasn't sure how, but if he said it was, then it was. "Well, I know Bobby said that there might be an apartment here to use for now, but I turned him down." I saw the guys start to get upset at that, so I hurriedly followed up with, "But, Bobby then offered me use of his house. He's going to take me to look at it when we leave."

"Why won't you stay here?" Range questioned.

"I don't want Joe to know that I'm here. If he finds out I'm back in town, he's already going to be harassing you guys until he finds out where I'm at. If I'm staying here, it will be worse. You know that. He'll be here all the time threatening you guys or some shit like that. If I'm out of town, and hopefully where he can't find me, then hopefully he'll leave you alone. I'd like to work here without him even knowing I'm here, but that's probably impossible."

"We could make it happen," Tank responded.

"No, I just don't want him causing problems for everyone here." Taking another deep breath, I pressed on. "You also need to know, because I'm sure this will cause a problem, but I'm filing for divorce sometime this week. I'm not sure what lawyer I'll be using, but I have a few references from my therapist."

"'Bout damn time," Tank said as he ruffled my hair. Damn, that man has long ass arms! He was sitting on the other side of Lester but still had enough length to get to me.

All in all, the meeting went very well; I got my job back on a full-time basis with benefits immediately. I have my friends back and, best of all, I'm surrounded by people who love me and never put me down. I think that maybe, just maybe, I'll be okay.


	11. Chapter 11

_Wow! I hadn't expected the reviews I received on the last chapter… seriously, you blew my mind! Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews and letting me know you are still reading my story. You have no idea how much I appreciated that and how much easier it was to write this chapter after that (I just had to find the time)! I hope you'll enjoy this one as well. ~AJ_

After I agreed to lunch with a few of the guys later in the week, Bobby and I headed out to his house. I was anxious to see it, yet a little apprehensive about staying somewhere by myself. Sure, I could aske Bobby to stay with me, but I knew that would complicate things. I was so lost in looking at the scenery and listening to my running thoughts when I felt someone touch my hand. Looking over, I noticed that we'd stopped in front of a single story brick house and Bobby was holding my hand.

"We're here," he said as he turned in his seat to face me more.

"Sorry. I was lost looking at the scenery and listening to my thoughts," I admitted.

Opening his door, he slipped from the SUV and jogged to my side. As he opened my door, he held his hand out for me to take. I will admit this was something new to me. Joe never opened my door or held my hand to help me out. "Like I said, my house isn't anything spectacular, but it is available if you want."

Walking up the driveway, I noticed he had what looked like a huge back yard. On the porch, Bobby unlocked the door, stepped inside, and punched in a code. "I'm hooked up to Rangeman, so you'll have the guys monitoring the house. There are no video cameras inside, just outside on the front and back porch."

I stepped inside with Bobby and he handed me the piece of paper he'd stuck in his pants earlier, "This is the code for the house."

"But I've not said if I'm staying here or not," I told him and refused to take the paper. I didn't want the code to his house if I wasn't going to stay.

"Steph, I want you to have it. Then, anytime you want to come here, you'll be able to get in. I don't care if I'm here or not, you are always welcome here," he told me when he placed the paper in my palm. "I want you to think of this as your home, too."

I was speechless. I didn't know what to say so I just nodded and followed him to the living room. There was a couch, two recliner rocking chairs, and a coffee table. The television was in a cabinet with doors and under that was the DVD player and quite a few DVDs. I noticed a button on the wall, "What's that for?"

"That," he said as he walked to it, "is a panic button. I have one in every room. That way, if something happens and you can't get to a phone, push the button. Rangeman and the local PD will be alerted."

"Why one in every room?" I asked thinking that was a little overboard.

"Well, with my military career and current job, there were possibilities that I'd have people after me. I wanted one in every room so that, no matter where I was, I would hopefully be able to get to one if the need arose." Knocking on his wall, he continued, "So far, I've never had to use them."

"I'm glad," I whispered as we walked to the kitchen.

"I don't have food here, as I've not been living here. So, if you decide to stay, we'll hit the grocery store and stock it up for you. There are pots and pans in the bottom cabinet to the left of the sink. Glasses are in the upper cabinet to the left of the sink. Plates and bowls are directly above the sink," he said as he pointed out the wood cabinets.

"The bathroom is down the hall, first door on the left." As we walked down the hall, he grabbed my hand and made sure I followed him. "This," he said as he opened the door on the right, "is the bedroom." I walked in and it was huge! A lot bigger than I would have expected from the size of the house. "I also have an office across the hall, so if you wanted to work from here sometime, you'd be able to."

"Why are you doing this for me?" I finally asked, unable to refrain any longer.

"Because I want you to be safe. I want you to be able to stand on your own feet again. I want you to not be scared of how you're going to do things."

I could tell there was more that he wanted to say, but he stopped and I didn't push him. In looking around his house, I really wondered if I could do it. Could I stay here and hide from Joe? Could I move out on my own and not see Colin every day? Bobby sat on the bed and left me to explore on my own and gather my thoughts.

When I returned to his bedroom, I knew what my answer was going to be. "I think I'd like to stay here," I told him with a smile.

He stood up, wrapped me in his arms, and hugged me tight, "I was really hoping you'd say that, Tiger." He ruffled my hair and then led me to the SUV outside. "Let's get you some food stocked up, shall we?"

After we returned from shopping, Bobby and I began putting things away. It felt like old times with Joe and I couldn't handle it. I stood there, about to put the soup cans in the cabinet when I froze. I couldn't move. Bobby noticed and came over to me, "Steph, what's wrong?" he quietly asked.

I heard him talking to me, I felt him next to me, yet, it felt like I was in a dream. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything. Finally, Bobby took the can from my hand and turned me to face him.

"I… I don't want to put them away wrong," I cried.

Bobby pulled me into his embrace and held me as I cried. I knew I was soaking his shirt, but I couldn't stop. Finally, when it seemed my body lost all its liquid, I pulled away from Bobby. "Talk to me, Steph," he whispered. "What do you mean put them away wrong?"

Taking a deep breath, I knew I had to talk to him. After all, that is something that Dr. L and I had been discussing… letting Bobby know about everything. "With Joe, if I didn't have all the labels facing forward and in alphabetical order, it was wrong and I'd be punished." I expected to be laughed at, but I should have known better. Bobby wasn't like that.

Instead, Bobby took the cans from the cabinet, turned them upside down and just stacked them however wanted. When they were all stacked, he looked back at me, "Want to knock them down?"

"What?" I asked confused. "Why would I knock them down? You just stacked them."

"Because it would be fun."

When I shook my head no, he turned back to the cabinet and pushed over one of the towers of soup cans. When they fell over, laughed and pushed over the second tower, "Sure you don't want to help?"

Unable to stop, I walked over and began pushing them off the tower, one at a time. When the other three towers were down, I felt like it wasn't enough. I wanted, no _needed_ to push something else. Bobby must have seen it in my eyes or something because he grabbed my hand and led me to the basement that I didn't know he had.

In the corner was a bag hanging from the ceiling along with a bag on a stand. "Let me see your hands," he said as he reached for some tape and gloves. "These will help you so you don't hurt your hands," he explained as he used the tape and gloves. Once my hands were done to his satisfaction, he turned me to the hanging bag, "Go punch the shit out of it."

I walked over and punched it once or twice, but it didn't really do anything. "Think of the cans, Tiger," I heard Bobby say as he stepped up behind me. Thinking of all the times I had the cans facing the correct way and in alphabetic order, yet Joe still wasn't happy because the labels weren't lined up correctly, pissed me off. I began punching the bag with all the force I had. Sometime after I began punching, I heard a scream off in the distance. I didn't know who it was or why they were screaming, but I couldn't afford to be concerned with them at the moment. I knew if it was serious, Bobby would go check it out. Finally, my arms began to feel sore and I was slowing down. I noticed the screaming stopped as well and when I looked around I only saw Bobby in the basement with me. With one last punch to the bag, I fell to the floor in exhaustion.

Bobby sat down next to me, pushed my wet hair off my face, and put a water bottle up to my lips. I downed most of it before he pulled it away, "Thanks," I said with a sore throat. Guess I know who was screaming.

"Feel better?" he asked with a slight smile.

"Actually, yes I do. Thank you."

He reached for my hands and took the gloves off. The tape was all wet from sweat, but he still removed it as well. After checking over my hands, he smiled, "Not even a scratch."

Realizing I was drenched with sweat, I looked at him, "Mind if I take a quick shower?"

"No problem. Come on, I'll help you up."

Once we reached the top of the stairs, I remembered, "I don't have anything to change into here yet."

"No worries. I'll get you a pair of my sweatpants and a t-shirt. They may be big on you, but they'll work until we get back to Rangeman."

I set off for the bathroom and stripped down. After I stepped in the shower, I heard a knock on the door, "Steph, can I set the clothes on the counter?"

"Sure, I'm in the shower," I hollered and heard the door open. I was grateful that his shower curtain wasn't see-through, but a solid color instead. "Thank you," I said as I pulled a section back and stuck my head out.

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else," he said as he stood there for a moment staring at the curtain. He finally shook his head and left the room. I swear I heard him mumbling about needed a different curtain, but I wasn't sure why. This one looked new enough.

After my shower, I dried off and put on his clothes. They were huge on me, but I just rolled the waistband down a few times and that seemed to work. The shirt was long enough that I figured I could sleep in it; if he'd let me.

One the way back to Rangeman, I paid attention to where we were and figured I'd be able to find my way if needed… but for now, it didn't matter as I didn't have a vehicle. I was about to doze off when I heard Bobby speak. "Do you want to stay at the house tonight or just stay in my apartment at Rangeman?"

"No empty apartments?" I asked.

He shook his head, "No, I asked earlier but they are all used up right now. I can sleep on the couch."

"No you can't. I've seen your couch and, not only would your feet be falling over the side, so would your head. I can sleep on the couch."

"No. You take the bed. I'll throw some blankets and a pillow on the floor. I've slept in worse conditions," he replied.

Sitting back in the seat, I laid my head back, "We'll figure it out when we get there; but you are not sleeping on the couch or floor." I closed my eyes for the final ten minutes of the drive and wondered how long until my family or Joe knew I was back in town.


	12. Chapter 12

I'd been staying at Bobby's house for about two weeks when it happened. Bobby, Lester, Tank, and Ranger were heading to Shorty's for lunch and I decided to get out of the office for a few hours, so I tagged along. Tank and Ranger were sitting in the booth with their backs to the wall while Lester, Bobby, and I sat across from them; I was sandwiched in the middle. Bobby had his arm across the back of my chair and he was playing with my curls when I heard it.

"Get your hands off my wife!"

I stiffened and sucked in a breath while the men at the table stood up. I saw Bobby reaching for the gun at his waist. "You need to leave, Morelli. She is no longer you wife."

"The hell she isn't," Joe said and reached for me.

Just feeling his hand reach out to me caused me to scream. I was reliving all the those times his arms came at me and I couldn't stop the reel in my head. I knew if he got me alone, not only would he hit me, but also he'd be so pissed at me that he'd not stop until I was dead. I wasn't ready to die. Yes, at one point I had been, but being around Bobby so much had taught me a few things; it doesn't matter how the cans face in the cupboard, uneven towels hanging in the bathroom are just part of life, and a real man never ever hits a woman.

"If you touch her," Bobby threatened in a low voice, "you'll never see the light of day again. And no, she isn't your wife. And that will be legal soon."

"Are you threatening me?" Joe asked with a sneer. "Because I can arrest you right now."

"I'd like to see you try it, fucking wife beater," Bobby replied. I tried to get him to stop. I didn't want Joe to hit him; I knew how hard Joe could hit. Before I could say another word, I saw a fist fly. Joe landed one on Bobby's jaw. I half expected Bobby to fall down, I mean, I always did. But instead, he smiled and wailed on Joe. "You just lost your badge, asswipe," Bobby said as he punched Joe two more times.

Joe stood up, wiped the blood from his mouth, and growled, "You're going to jail, Brown."

"Oh I don't think so," spoke Ranger causing me to jump. Honestly, I'd forgotten the guys were all there. "I believe the evidence will show you threw the first punch."

Evidence… what the hell was he talking about? I looked to Ranger and then Tank. Not seeing anything, I looked to my other side and saw Lester with his phone out videotaping the whole thing. Joe saw the same thing and paled at the knowledge that he'd been recorded. Instead of fighting more, he turned and walked out of Shorty's.

"Les, let's get that to Steph's attorney stat," Bobby said as he picked me up from my chair. "Are you okay?" I could see the concern in his eyes; he was worried that I was going to break down. Honestly, I could, but I refuse to do it in front of everyone, so I just nodded. "Let's go," he told the guys as he threw some bills on the table and grabbed my hand.

Once we piled in the SUV we headed to Rangeman. I leaned into Bobby's side and took comfort in the fact that I was still there and not hauled off by Joe. I knew Bobby's jaw had to hurt and I was sorry he'd been hit, but I was also grateful that he protected me and took care of Joe.

"Thank you," I whispered in his ear. He understood that I wasn't ready to talk to anyone else and just nodded. When we pulled into the garage and the vehicle was turned off, he opened the door and helped me out. "Steph and I are off for the rest of the afternoon. I need an ice pack and she needs to rest." No one said a word but instead nodded and headed to the stairs.

Stepping off the elevator, Bobby grabbed my hand and led us to his apartment. Once we were inside and away from camera's, he turned me to face him, "How are you really, Tiger?"

I tried to shrug it off, but when he wouldn't let me turn away from him, the tears began to fall. I cried because Bobby had been hurt, because I'd been found out by Joe, because the man I use to know and love had turned into a monster and there was no help for him. Mostly, I cried because I didn't know what else to do.

Picking me up, Bobby carried me to his bedroom and placed me in the center of the bed, "I'll be right back. I promise," he whispered as he kissed my forehead. I watched and returned a minute later with an icepack and he crawled on the bed with me. Laying on his back, he pulled me to him and then used his other hand to hold the pack to his jaw.

I woke up a few hours later and stretched to look up Bobby's face. His eyes were shut so I couldn't tell if he was asleep or not. I tried to move carefully but as soon as I lifted my head, his eyes shot open. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," I whispered.

"You didn't. I was just resting and enjoying the feeling."

"What feeling?" I asked. "Does your jaw feel better?"

"Yeah, it's fine. But I was enjoying the feel of you next to me, taking comfort in my arms and resting on my chest," he said as he looked at me.

What the hell do I say to that? Anytime? Instead of replying, I scooted away from him and took care of nature. When I stepped back into the bedroom, I noticed he was gone. Walking down the hall, I spotted him in the kitchen putting the icepack back in the freezer. I walked up to the counter and leaned on it, "I wanted thank you for protecting me and not letting him touch me."

Bobby came around the counter and pulled me towards him. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he rested his chin on my head, "I'll never let him touch you again. I'll die before that ever happens." I wondered why he said that; it wasn't like we were an item; I guess he just said it because of what happened to him and his mother.

Pulling back from him, I looked at the clock. Our work day was done and we were both off for the next few days, "Can we stay at the house for the next few nights? Joe will most likely figure I'm staying here and I don't feel like dealing with him right now."

"Of course. Let me just grab a few things and we can go," Bobby said as he walked to the closet in his bedroom. I saw him pull out a few changes of clothes and stuff them into a duffle bag. "Ready?" he asked as he slung the bag over his shoulder.

Nodding, I opened the apartment door and we headed to the garage. I was hoping we'd be able to get out without anyone seeing us, but of course I have zero luck. Tank and Ranger happened to be pulling in as we reached Bobby's truck. He threw his bag in the back and began helping me in when Ranger came over. "Leaving, Babe?"

Bobby slipped his arm around my shoulders and I swear I heard him growl. "We're heading back to Bobby's place for the night. I don't want to stay here now that Joe knows I'm back in town."

Ranger's blank face slammed down, "He won't be a problem here. He won't get in the front door."

"I know you all want to protect me, but I don't want him harassing any of you. I feel it's best if I stay where he doesn't know how to find me. This way, when he asks if I'm on the property, no one will be lying." Ranger started to say something else but I cut him off, "Ranger, this is what I want. I'm going to stay at Bobby's. Have a good night."

Bobby helped me into the passenger seat, shut my door, and jogged to the driver side. When he climbed in, he looked at me with a smile, "I'm proud of you for standing up to him. If he had his way, he'd have you up on the seventh floor."

There was a time when I'd loved being on the seventh floor. I loved Ranger's sheets, his bathroom, hell, everything about his apartment, but now… I just have no reason to go there. I've found my comfort spot in Bobby and where he is. If anyone were to ask me what made me happy these days, I'd have to answer honestly and say Bobby did.

"Hey, Tiger. Where'd you go?" I heard Bobby question as we drove down the streets.

"Sorry, just realizing a few things and got lost in thought," I offered with a smile. As I was about to say something else, my phone rang. Pulling it off my hip, I looked at the display, but didn't recognize the number. I prayed it wasn't Joe with my new number and answered.

"Hello?"

"Ms, Plum?"

"Ye… yes."

"This is Mr. Wark, do you have a moment to talk?"

I saw Bobby looking to find out who was on the phone, so I mouthed Mr. Wark to him and he nodded. Mr. Wark was the attorney handling my divorce; I was really surprised to be hearing from him so soon. "Sure, I have a few minutes. What can I do for you?"

"Ms. Plum, I was sent a video clip from earlier today. Can you confirm there was an incident with Officer Morelli?"

"Yes, I was having lunch with some friends when he stormed in and tried to take me against my will." I told my attorney everything that happened even thought I knew he'd seen it on the video. I still figured he'd want to hear it in my own words. When I got to the part about Joe hitting Bobby, I started crying. Bobby reached over, grabbed my hand, kissed my wrist, and then placed my hand on his thigh and never let go. I talked to Mr. Wark for most of the trip to Bobby's place and once he was satisfied he had all he needed, he said he'd be in touch in the next few days and we hung up.

"Have a good discussion after replaying the horrible afternoon?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah. He said that the divorce should be granted by the end of the week. How he plans on it going through that soon, I don't know, but I'm not going to question it. He also said he's working on a restraining order. We all know that won't stop Joe, though. But, he said we have to follow a chain in order to get to where he wants to get; which I have no clue where that is."

Bobby pulled into his drive and cut the engine. Before getting out of the truck, he turned to me, "Thank you," he said as he kissed my wrist again.

Feeling his lips on my wrist sent tiny shocks through my body and caused me to shiver. "For what?" I whispered as his lips once again met my wrist.

"For trusting me to keep you safe and wanting to stay here."

"I've never doubted your ability to keep me safe," I responded. "I just never wanted to be a burden."

"You never were and never will be a burden to me. I love… I love taking care of you," he said and looked away. I swear he was blushing, but with his skin tone, you'd never be able to tell. Wait! Did he just start to say something else and then change the words? "Come on, let's get inside," he suggested and opened the door. Reaching in the back, he grabbed his bag and then met me in front of the vehicle. Grabbing my hand, we walked to the porch and went inside.

I went to my room and changed into a pair of comfy shorts and one of Bobby's shirts. When I met him in the living room, he was in a pair of black lounge pants and nothing else, sitting on the couch. I had to stop walking for a moment for fear of colliding with a wall. Damn that man had one hell of a body. How had I'd never noticed it before? Oh yeah, because he always had a shirt on…. That and this was the first time I actually stopped to admire him.

"Come sit with me?" he asked as he patted the cushion next to him. I curled up next to him as we watched _Ghostbusters _and then _Sixteen Candles_. I fell asleep sometime towards the end of _Sixteen Candles_ and when I woke up, I was screaming.

_Please leave a review and let me know what you think! _


	13. Chapter 13

_This is a short little chapter from Bobby's POV. I thought maybe you'd like to know what he's thinking about certain things. Leave me some love... I made two chapters in two days!_

_~AJ_

_**Bobby's POV**_

After the incident at Shorty's, I sat in the back of the SUV with Stephanie leaning into me. I knew she was trying to keep from breaking down in front of the guys; she was always trying to hide her feelings in front of them. I was surprised when, all of the sudden, Steph whispered thank you in my ear. I wanted to ask her for what, but could see by the look in her eyes that she wasn't ready to talk, so I just nodded.

When we pulled into the garage, I opened the door, angled out, and helped her out. I wanted to carry her, just to feel her in my arms and prove to myself that she was safe, but I knew she'd not go for that. I told the guys that she and I were off for the rest of the day and we headed to our apartment. Our apartment… when the hell did that happen?

As we entered the apartment, I looked at Steph, "How are you really, Tiger?" I saw her try to shrug it off, but I knew it was bothering her. Not letting her look away, I saw the tears begin to fall and I hugged her to me. Once she was done crying, I carried her to my bedroom and placed her in the center. I didn't want to leave her, but I needed an ice pack for my jaw. I wouldn't admit this to anyone, but it hurt like a fucker. Morelli just happened to hit in the spot that was broken years ago.

After I returned with the ice pack, I crawled up in the bed with her and pulled her to me. When she laid her head on my shoulder, I put the ice pack to my jaw and closed my eyes. With Stephanie near me, her head on my shoulder, all felt right in my world. I wasn't completely sure what the hell was happening, but I knew if the rest of my life felt like this, I wanted it.

I must have drifted off to sleep because I woke up when I felt Steph move her head. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," she whispered.

I didn't want her to feel bad, so I answered, "You didn't. I was just resting and enjoying the feeling."

She looked at me with a funny expression, "What feeling? Does your jaw feel better?"

I looked at her and thought about how to answer and decided to be honest, "Yeah, it's fine. But, I was enjoying the feel of you next to me, taking comfort in my arms and resting on my chest."

She scooted away from me and headed to the restroom. I hoped like hell that I didn't just scare the shit out of her. I figured I'd best get the ice pack back in the freezer, so I headed out to the kitchen and hoped she was okay. When I turned from the freezer, I saw her standing there against the counter, "I wanted to thank you for protecting me and not letting him touch me," she said in a low voice.

I walked around the counter and pulled her to me. After I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my chin on her head, I told her, "I'll never let him touch you again. I'll die before that ever happens." I knew I was laying it all on the line and risking her running for the hills. Hell, after all she'd been through, she needed time to adjust to things and here I was trying to tell her how I felt.

"Can we stay at the house for the next few nights? Joe will most likely figure I'm staying here and I don't feel like dealing with him right now."

I could see the concern etched on her face and she needed less stress, not more. So, of course I agreed and grabbed a few changes of clothes. I was hoping to make it out of Rangeman without a big fuss, but the wind blew the wrong direction and the Gods were pissed.

As we reached the garage, Ranger came over to her. "Leaving, Babe?" he asked. Why the fuck is he still calling her Babe? Of course, me being the stupid ass caveman that I am, I threw my arm around her shoulders and growled low enough that I hoped she didn't hear me. When he tried to get Steph to stay there, I really began getting pissed. He wasn't a part of her life any more other than a friend. When she told him we were still going to go stay at my place, a part of me wanted to beat on my chest, but I refrained.

I could tell Steph had drifted off to somewhere in her head, so I let her be on the drive. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and began talking to her but her phone rang. It was her lawyer and they discussed what happened during the day. When she begin talking about the events of the day, I saw her begin to cry as she talked about me being hit. Without thinking, I reached over, grabbed her hand, kissed her wrist, and settled her hand on my thigh. I never let go as she talked.

She told me that the divorce should be final by the end of the week. I decided to plan a celebration for her; I was thinking a trip to Hoboken might be in order. I wondered if she'd prefer a private party or one with all her friends. I'll have to come up with a strategy to find out.

I pulled into the drive, cut the engine, and turned to face her, "Thank you," I said as I kissed her wrist again. Man, I've never been one to go after particular body parts, but seeing the reaction I get from kissing her wrist is enough to make me want to kiss it forever.

I heard her whisper, "For what?" as I kissed that wonder wrist one more time.

"For trusting me to keep you safe and wanting to stay here," I told her honestly.

"I've never doubted your ability to keep me safe, I just never wanted to be a burden," she replied. A burden? She'd never be a burden.

"You never were and never will be a burden to me," I told her. "I love… I love taking care of you." Shit, where the hell did that come from? I almost said I love you to her. That really would have sent her running to woods. I had get her mind off my slipup before she realized what I'd done. "Come on, let's get inside." I opened the door, grabbed my bag, and met her in front of the SUV. Grabbing her hand, I walked up to the porch and let us in.

Steph grabbed some more comfortable clothes to change into. When she headed to the bathroom, I made a quick trip to the bedroom and slipped into a pair of black lounge pants and nothing else. In the living room, I grabbed the two new DVDs I'd picked up and opened them. Taking the knife from my end table, I sliced open the 'Security' tape. Honest to God, do they really need to put three pieces of this shit on the case? I made it back to the couch as she was finishing up in the bathroom. From the corner of my eye, I watched her approach the living room and stop.

I had to control myself; I was dying laughing on the inside. I mean, come on. She was standing there, staring at me like she'd never seen me before. Well, I guess I have been trying to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable around me, so I always wore a shirt. Tonight, I was just too hot to wear one. When I saw her discreetly reach up and check for drool, I knew she was going to be okay.

I patted the cushion next to me, "Come sit with me?" She curled up into my side as we watched _Ghostbusters_. When that was over, I put in _Sixteen Candles_. About three-fourths of the way through, Steph stretched out on the couch with her head in my lap and fell asleep. I finished watching the movie and tried to keep my mind off what she was using as a pillow. I knew if I thought about it too much, she'd wake up because her _pillow_ would be poking her in the ear.

When the credits began rolling, I slipped out from under Steph's head and picked her up. Carrying her back to the bedroom, I placed her in bed, kissed her forehead, covered her up, and headed to my office. I'd cleared out enough space for a cot to sleep on. Steph tried fighting me on it, telling me to take the bed and she'd take the couch or the cot. Honestly, I didn't want her sleeping anywhere but my bed. I'd lain awake a few nights here just imagining her in there and me curling up to her. Sure, I'd have to take a cold shower in the middle of the night, but she never knew. I had just drifted off to sleep when I heard the most God-awful blood-curling scream come from my bedroom.


	14. Chapter 14

Dear Readers,

My name is Jenna and I'm one of AJ's (Alexandra's) daughters. I've logged into my mom's account to deliver the saddest news of my life. On October 7th, 2012 at 3:17 pm, my mother was taken from us in an auto accident. I wasn't going to post anything, but after talking with my siblings, we decided to do this so that her fans weren't sitting here waiting forever for an update to her story.

Thank you for sharing in her fun for a short time.

Jeanna and family. 


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